Chasing Dreams
by G.M.Keys
Summary: Akira is running, she's been running for as long as she can remember. Running from her past, running from her mistakes, running from her fears. But you can't run forever, everyone has to stop eventually. Akira never planned on stopping but of course she never planned to join a guild either, look how that turned out.
1. First Class Ticket to Coach

Chasing Dreams

Chapter One

First Class Ticket to Coach

The forest was peaceful, but that didn't mean it wasn't loud. No, with the buzzing of bugs and the whistling of birds- not to mention the small wildlife that ran about- it was just as loud as a city.

But Akira liked it so much better, it was a different kind of noisy, one that she could appreciate. She had never been a city person, the loud noises of people shouting and the strange smells that all seemed to come together was not something that she really appreciated. It wasn't from lack of experience. Akira had been through plenty of cities but it just wasn't something she had ever really enjoyed. But that might've been because of how she'd grown up, traveling around the countryside where trips into the towns were more for the necessity of supplies than to splurge. There was a point in her life where she had lived in a city, it was also coincidentally some of the worst years of her life.

Animals were much more reliable than people as well. Sure they could steal your food if you left it lying around, but they weren't going to call you names because you didn't dress the best. They weren't going to kick you down because you didn't talk a certain way. And they couldn't call the Rune Knights and have you dragged back to an orphanage by the skin of your neck.

So it would be no surprise to anyone that knew her that she had forgone staying in town and instead trekked a mile or two into the forest to set up camp for the night. Trees were about the same as a motel. They were sticky, bug infested and uncomfortable. The only difference the forest and the motel was that the forest didn't cost a cent to sleep in. It was really a win-win in her eyes.

But there was one thing that the forest did not have that a town did, one vital thing. An alarm clock.

"Oh geez!"

There was a loud thump, and forest critters scattered as someone came crashing through their bushes and leaves.

Akira looked at the sky and let out a stream of curses. She grabbed the well-worn bag she had been using as a pillow and jumped over a log. "I should have been up an hour ago!" Akira was kicking herself, if she wanted to make the train she'd have to move fast. Barely keeping her balance, she hiked her bag over her shoulder and raced through the underbrush.

* * *

The guild door slammed open, Natsu and his pal Happy stepped in, "Let's hurry and pick a job already! I want to kick some butt!"

"Aye!" Happy shouted his agreement with just as much vigour as his partner. The two grinned and raced to the job board, mowing down anyone in their path.

"Calm down Natsu, was it really necessary to kick down the guild door?" Lucy called, walking in from behind.

"Of course, it's Natsu! That idiot doesn't think. He probably doesn't even know how to properly open a door." said Fairy Tail's residential ice mage, stepping into the building.

"Why you! You're the idiot around here! At least I can remember to get dressed in the morning you pervert!"

WHAM

Lucy just sighed, not two minutes in the guild and chairs were already flying, flaming ones at that. She walked over to the bar and sat next to Mirajane who was cleaning the counter.

"And there they go..." Lucy murmured. She rested her chin in her palm and watched her two teammates go at it again for what seemed to be the tenth time that day.

Mirajane giggled and put the glass she had in her hand back into the shelf "Its been like that for so long that I can't imagine them doing anything else."

"You would think that they would get tired of beating on each other, but no." Lucy sighed and rubbed her temples, "On that job we just took they ended up destroying the client's garden over a piece of fruit! And get this! Neither of them actually ended up eating it in the end! It was charred to a crisp." She moaned and banged her head on the table, "We had to stay there for hours cleaning up that place. Why couldn't have Erza gotten back sooner?"

Mira laughed, "That sure sounds like them," She leaned over the counter to wipe at a few stray crumbs. Her gaze flickered up to the bickering mages, "But, I wouldn't have it any other way. The guild sure wouldn't be the same without those two bickering all the time."

Lucy sighed, lifting her head, "Mira, I don't think throwing tables and knocking each other senseless falls under 'bickering'."

"Just in time for the afternoon showing ehh?"

Lucy turned to the new voice, "I didn't see you there, Master!"

Mirajane set a beer down next to him. "Done with paperwork?"

Makarov seemed to wilt at the mention of paperwork. "No, but a'reckon that I'll never be done with that blasted paperwork to till the day I die! All because of you brats!"

With that he guzzled his beer in one go and began to cheer on the fighting mages. Lucy nervously laughed and inched away from the Master. Hopefully he didn't know about that garden estate job just yet.

"You get a real kick out of them beating the crap out of each other, don't you?" Lucy asked, sweat dropping at his gusto.

"What can I say?" Makarov shrugged, moving his glass out so Mira could refill. "It's good entertainment and it pushes them to become better mages." He gave a nod of thanks to the barmaid and savored his second pint.

Lucy absentmindedly dodged a frozen block of wood and glanced around the guild. It was only in Fairy Tail that it was encouraged to beat on your fellow mages while everyone else cheered you on. It was only in Fairy Tail where you could go on an adventure every day. It was only in Fairy Tail where you could be whoever you wanted to be and you would have the support of your family... family no matter how dysfunctional.

Lucy beamed at Mira, "You're right, I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

 _'Deep breaths Akira...you're on the train, you made it... just calm down.'_ Akira took few deep breaths and with her last exhale, sunk down into the cushions. She was exhausted. Leaning forward, she looked on to the bustling train station from out the window. She watched as a group of workers toppled an entire cart full of luggage, opening half of them. They were frantic in their attempts to pick it up but their effort only seemed to dirty and wrinkled the clothes. Akira facepalmed and groaned. These idiots were going take forever trying to load up, Akira just was glad she wasn't the owner of any of those suitcases. There was probably half the passengers' worth of stuff spilled on the floor. The workers didn't even seem to care as they shoved clothes at random into suitcases. By the end of the trip, there were going to be some very unhappy customers.

Akira rummaged through the pocket of her dirty pack and fished out a complementary map that she had snagged from the welcome desk when had bought her ticket. She held it up to the light that was streaming through the window and carefully traced the route with the edge of her pointer finger. There were three stops before they hit their end destination, Magnolia. It would have normally been a seven hour trip but they had to reroute around the mountain and unload supplies or something like that.

Akira yawned and stretched out on the seat. She picked at a few fraying strands on her shirt before setting the map down on the seat next to her. It had been a long while since she had been on a train. She sunk back into the cushions behind her. It felt good to lean back against something soft for a change. Akira was all for roughing it in the woods but there was nothing that could really be substituted for a nice comfy cushion to lean against.

 _'The only thing that would make this better would be if I got a complementary pillow and blanket too.'_ Akira contemplated the thought for a moment and she slowly leaned up and looked down the compartment aisle. _'I wonder if first class gets anything like that.'_ She peered down but couldn't get any glimpses through to the upper part of the train. There were other people shuffling through to other compartments and the general flow of noise drifting by made her decision for her.

Sliding the compartment door shut, Akira sat back down in her previous spot and grabbed her travel bag. It wasn't as comfy as a pillow but it sure beat nothing.

Memories flitted through her mind, Akira smiled a bit before yawning. It would be nice change to just let the train take her instead of walking. The last job had been quick and it had good enough pay that she was able to afford a train ticket. It was a rare treat that she's was fully going to take advantage of. Honestly she couldn't remember the last time she had been on a train. Resting her head against her bag, she closed her eyes and it wasn't long before soft snores filled the compartment.

* * *

BAM SLAM

Ezra grit her teeth and used all her self control to stop herself from throwing one of the stations staff through the wall... again. Her day had just gone from bad to worse, what was supposed to be easy money ended being a nightmare. Turns out there hadn't been an actual job waiting for her. The flier had been a lie. The stupid mayor sent her on a wild goose chase through the woods for three days. Some of the villagers had set traps in the woods so they could capture and presumably sell her to a dark guild.

It wasn't the traps that were the problem; no, they were painfully easy to dismantle. It was the fact that when she destroyed all of them she found that she was completely and utterly lost.

When she finally made it back, they pulled a one eighty on her and used the law to get her kicked out of the town for 'destruction of private property' and if she didn't 'remove herself from the premise' they would press charges. She may have destroyed a tree or two… and a few of the bigger buildings. But it wasn't that big of a deal. It was of their own stupidity that they decided that it would be a wise move to capture 'Titania'. And besides, any building could be named the 'town hall'. All they have to do is paint letters on a different building.

There were laws against wasting a guild's time. But those laws that protected mages barely did anything at all. It wasn't like she had any proof of the attack either and with Fairy Tail's reputation... No, the magic council would never believe her over the town. The worst part about the whole thing was that she didn't even make a single jewel. It would've just been easier to go on that job with Lucy, Natsu and Gray.

BANG

"Careful!" One of the men hissed to his co-worker, "You don't want to be sent flying, do you?"

She glared at the worker that had dropped the same suitcase for the second time. "If I find anything damaged... it's coming out of your pocket." Ezra stated in her no nonsense deadpan that usually put Gray and Natsu in their place.

The man went white and began to sweat bullets. "O-Of c-course Miss S-Scarlet." He shakily made a salute, "I won't let you down."

She smiled sweetly, bearing just a bit too much teeth, "See to it that you don't." Ezra ducked into the train and made her way up to the first class compartments.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you can't be up here."

She turned to the voice coming from behind her. "What do you mean I can't be here?" Erza's voice was ice. Stiffly turning to the side, she leveled a frown at the conductor and held up her ticket. "I bought a first class seat."

He smiled apologetically, though Erza couldn't help but notice the contempt hidden under his customer friendly smile. "And I'm really sorry about that Miss, but there are not enough seats left and the first class seats are given to the special ticket holders first." His voice was clipped and his gloves hands daintily straightened the collar of his shirt. "-if there are any left then I might be able to-"

The scarlet haired mage tuned out the rest of his wishy-washy apology speech. From the moment he opened his mouth, his intended message was very clear. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to her. Erza could barely contain a sigh of her own. First the job, and now this! She couldn't catch a break could she?

"So basically you're telling me that I can't have the seat I just paid for ten minutes ago." Ezra interrupted putting her full attention on the conductor. His confident swagger shrunk back from her intense gaze and he averted his eyes.

"Well! I-If you're not a special ticket holder then you can't have a first class seat until all the-"

Erza's fist thundered against the wall in a moment of uncontrolled frustration. "Special ticket holders?!" She seethed, leaning down towards him, "What a load of crap! I've never even heard of such a thing!"

The conductor choked when he saw the dent in the side of the train. "A-As m-much as I w-would like to g-give you one o-of the seats-"

She longed to strangle him with his own necktie and throw him out the window but that wouldn't do any good at the moment. The side looks she was getting from the other passengers was already starting to catch her attention. Even if it wasn't about money, her being a mage changed a lot. Erza wasn't used to the prejudice that came with her mage status but it wasn't unknown. In a place like this, rural and isolated, she was most definitely considered to be an undesirable at best. It was a wonder that she had been given the ability to purchase a first class ticket at all. Starting a fight would only get her in more trouble. She was a representative of Fairy Tail and any improper slander caused by her actions would be unforgivable. Erza physically forced her blood pressure to cool but her fingers still twitched, betraying her true desire.

 _'Strangling might do some good, it would make me feel better at the very least.'_

Ezra sighed in defeat and held the bridge of her nose, "Fine, fine... I get it." She waved off whatever excuse he decided throw her way, it just wasn't worth it. "Can I at least get the extra amount I paid back?" His hands clasped in front and Erza already knew his answer before he even spoke a word.

"I'm sorry but all tickets are non-negotiable and non refundable." The whistle blew on the train and the doors were beginning to be shut. "It was a pleasure, Miss Scarlet," His tongue raked over her name with a razor sharpness that only could be contempt, "-but I really must attend to my duties. If you need anything, just ask." He gave a tight lipped smile that displayed anything but hospitality. He didn't wait for her response and was gone in another instance.

Erza stared for a long moment down the aisle of the train. Crossing her arms over her chest, she couldn't help but shake her head in almost a wonder at the man's rudeness. She made her way to the coach section of the train, the first six rows of compartments were all filled up. She walked to the very back and stopped before the last one. Unlike the others, it was shut and there's was no noise coming out from it. Erza nodded her head, an empty compartment would be the best. The last thing she wanted was deal with another mage-fearing moron. Ezra slid the door open and was surprised at what she saw. Someone was in here and sleeping as a matter of fact. How they could sleep she had no idea, not with all the racket going on outside.

She quietly seated herself in the opposing row and leaned against the window. Her mind played over the previous conversation and she couldn't help but frown. If the passengers were like that every time she got up to stretch her legs then it was going to be a long twelve hours. Erza glanced over the sleeping figure and couldn't help but hope that the person she was going to be sharing a compartment with wasn't like everyone else around here.

 **Updated:** 7/31/18


	2. Magic Shouldn't be like Molasses

Chasing Dreams

Chapter 2

Magic Shouldn't be like Molasses

 _"Faster!"_

 _Akira grunted and threw her arms up in another defensive block. With a yell she flipped back and barley dodged another well aimed strike at her head._

 _Diving to the side, she shot up, throwing punches left and right. Her opponent moved to the side with ease_. _With inhuman speed, the enemy lunged forward and kicked the back of her legs out. Scrambling for footing, Akira stumbled back out of reach. There was a flash of silver and she felt something whizz by her head. Akira glanced behind and her mouth gaped open as she stared in shock at the blades embedded in the bark of the tree._

 _"What is wrong with you!" Akira cried in disbelief. She gingerly felt her bleeding ear, "That could of killed me!" Her opponent grinned and twirled a set of dangerous looking daggers. Akira's eyes widened, she threw herself down to the as another set the sharp blades went flying over head. A string of hard thuds hit the trees causing the branches to shake._

 _A multitude of beautiful reds and oranges drifted down into her line of sight. It was autumn now and the trees were beginning to change. It was almost surprising when she really began to be able to physically note how much time has passed. It really had seemed like it but the summer had already come and gone._

 _"You'd better be paying attention!"_

 _Akira's eyes shifted up and she barely was able to scramble out of the way of another set of knives. Jumping to her feet, she turned sharply on her heel and swung her leg wildly around for a sloppily executes roundhouse. Her opponent blocked her attack, her muscles flexed underneath Akira's leg and the girl was sent spinning back._

 _Akira wasted no time and once again lunged forward, this time circling around the back. She jumped high and angled herself high. Her opponent grabbed her foot and threw her back out the air. Akira slammed into the ground and skidded to a halt a few feet away, the wind knocked completely out of her._

 _Akira panted and her head softly slumped back against the tree against her back. She held her hand to her chest and with her other she wiped the sheen of sweat from her neck. Leaves crutched underneath her, shredding to pieces. They had barely begun to fall and already their beauty was wasted._

 _There was a distinct set of footsteps on the crunchy forest floor. Through the shadow of the trees, a figure stood there. Akira looked up with a looked of barely restrained annoyance. In front of her was an impassable and yet ever patient force of nature. Akira know she wouldn't be able to come even close to beating her opponent unless she tried something new._

 _Akira pushed herself to her feet and shakily moved into a new stance. She concentrated, a shudder ran through her at the feeling of magic rushing through her veins. A golden light shimmered into existence, causing light to flood up from the skin of her power began to grow causing Akira's body to take on a faint ethereal glow. Her hair swayed in the streams of magic swirling lazily around her. This was something she had been trying for months and yet could never get right._

 _She didn't really know what it was but she could feel it. It always pulsed through her like another set of veins. Akira loved the feeling. It was indescribable. When she did this, it felt like nothing could hurt her ever again._

 _A sense of calmness slowly washed over her. She stared down at her bright hand, she could trace the veins and feel the steady drumming of her heart. The world faded away until all that was left was a single minded focus. Stepping forward, she stood in front of her enemy. Her eyes blazed and she knew that this time, she was going to win. She could see that her enemy was saying something, stepping forward to meet her each step. But Akira didn't bother to listen, victory was going to be her's._

 _In that single moment everything went wrong. Magic flooded her veins, pouring out in every soft golden light sputtered out and a deep crimson hue took its place._

 _Akira sucked in a breath and she stared down in dread and watched the power began to quickly fill her body. It was uncontrollable and she couldn't help but cry out in pain as she desperately tried to m reign it in. She couldn't stop. Magic saturated the air, spinning faster and faster around her, causing the space around her shimmer a blood red. Akira choked, a strange tingly sensation numbed her fingers and her strength began to fade._

 _"Snap out of it!"_

 _The feeling was gone and in its place was pain. Akira flew back into something hard. She cried out, her right side ached from the impact and her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Akira watched the magic around her slowly dissipate until it finally disappeared._

 _Akira laid there for a moment before easing up into a sitting position. Her body ached all over and she suppressed a groan. She stared down at her trembling hand, willing it to stop moving. Akira grit her teeth and clenched her fists._

 _A dark shadow loomed, her teacher stood over her. She wasn't even breaking a sweat. Her brown hair was perfectly in place and there wasn't a hair out of line. Her loose fitting shirt didn't even look wrinkled let alone dirty._

 _"What did I say about magic?!" She roared dragging Akira up to her feet by the scruff of her neck._

 _Akira stared down at the ground and rubbed at the grass stain on her pants. Not that it would do much good. She'd been knocked to the ground so many times that day it probably wasn't even worth the effort. Akira was covered head to toe with grass and dirt._

 _"Well?!"_

 _Akira winced at the hard tone and grumbled out an apology._

 _"What was that kiddo? I didn't quite catch it."_

 _Akira groaned and kicked at the ground, "Fine, I'm sorry."_

 _Her teacher frowned and eyed her up and down. "You okay? The backlash didn't injure you did it?"_

 _Akira rubbed her eyes and slumped her shoulders, "No, I'm okay, just a little tired. I can keep going."_

 _She hummed in acknowledgment, but kept an eye trained on her, "Good." Akira didn't have a chance to blink before a hand darted out and pummeled the back of her head. The blow jarred her skull and she yelped at the searing pain.._

 _"What was that for?!" Akira whined, tenderly rubbing the back of her head, "I said I was sorry!"_

 _Akira's teacher crossed her arms and glared down at her student, "Sorry?! Sorry doesn't cut it this time. You're lucky that I'm not kicking your ass right now, brat! I'm not going to say it again! Your magic is too unstable! Even trying to channel it is completely reckless! You could've gotten seriously hurt if I hadn't stopped that spell! You can't substitute skill with power, especially one that is unstable. You know better! You have to have-"_

 _"A solid foundation and beginner stances down before any sort of advanced moves. I know, I know, basics first." Akira interrupted, rolling her eyes. She scowled up at her teacher, "I know I'm supposed to build up my 'muscle memory' and let 'my magic grow naturally' but I just can't wait any longer!" Akira grounded out through clenched teeth. "I have potential! You said so yourself!"_

 _Her teacher raised a brow, unimpressed, "Potential doesn't mean a thing when you don't have control nor the-"_

 _Akira cut her off, "But what if I-"_

 _"No."_

 _Akira's protesting died at the resounding no. Her teacher vehemently shook her head, "I refuse to let what happened last time happen again. No 'ifs', 'ands' or 'buts' kid." She poked her student's chest, the force caused Akira to stumble back. "My training, my rules." She stated firmly, "I don't care if you scream your bloody head off, it's not happening."_

 _Akira furrowed her brows, her fists shaking with anger. She opened her mouth as if to say something in response but turned away at the last moment._

 _She leaned her back against the tree behind her and crossed her arms over her chest in a sullen, brooding anger. Her teacher stared at her for a long moment. The shadow cast from the tree hid her student's face but it did nothing to hide the quivering of her lips and the soft shaking of her shoulders. Realization dawning upon her. "This is about what happened with your folks isn't it."_

 _Akira deflated at those words, she slid down to the ground. "Kira-chan..." Her teacher squatted down in front of her, meeting her at eye level. She could see the right grip the girl had on her wrists. "I know how frustrating it is, I really do... but you have got to be a little patient. These things take time."_

 _The only acknowledgement Akira made to her teacher's words was a non communal noise of agreement. Her eyes narrowed at the blatant lack of an answer. She didn't like it when Akira got like this. She pursed her lips and reached out to grab her hands in a hard grip. Pulling Akira's arms out into the light, her rough fingers thumbed over the mesh angry red scars that should've never been seen on the wrists of a girl so young._

 _"Kira-chan look at me." Akira felt a warm hand under her chin, gently forcing her head up. "Those monsters will never be able to hurt you again, I promise." She smiled softly down at her small student, rubbing the dirt off cheek. " I'll protect you as long as you need me, so no need to cry eh?"_

 _Akira quickly wiped away the tears trailing down her face, her cheeks burned in embarrassment. She hadn't even realized she had been tearing up. "I don't need your protection!" She snapped, roughly pushing her teacher's hands away. She scrambled up to her feet and gave a fierce scowl. "And I don't know what you saw but I definitely wasn't crying!"_

 _A booming laugh echoed through the clearing. "You got what it takes to get strong brat?" The older woman grinned, bearing pointed teeth at the younger's enthusiastic nod, "Then show me! Show me your resolve!"_

 _Hai Sora-sensei!" Akira chirped, wiping away the last of her tears. She slid into her starting position, ready to block._

* * *

Akira peeled herself off the vinyl seats and sat up, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. She glanced out the window and could already see the sun had already peaked and was slowly moving down the horizon. She really hadn't meant to sleep so long but it couldn't be helped. The seats were pretty comfortable.

Akira blindly reached for the crumpled map and brought it up to her face. Carefully, she traced the route and glanced back at the sun. Judging by the time, they should've already been at their first stop and should be arriving at the second in a few hours. After that, it would be a few hours before they made it near the mountains. It was a little surprising that she had managed to sleep through the first stop.

 _'Must've needed to sleep...'_

She stifled another yawn and leaned back against the window, closing her eyes. It wasn't like there was anything else to do. Stretching her hands above her head, Akira took a deep breath and promptly choked into a coughing fit. Akira could barely contain a gag before covering her nose and mouth with the edge of her shirt. Magic saturated their air, smothering her in a thick cloud of dust.

Any sleepiness was gone and she held her chest and took a few careful breaths in an attempt to get her breathing under control. Her hands gripped into the fabric and she clawed at the pile of weights that seemed to be pressing against her chest. Shakily standing up, Akira tried to tap into her magic but she could barely get more than a small drizzle to pool into her system. She was pretty much cut off.

Tightening her jaw, she carefully brought her nose up above the edge of her shirt and took a careful whiff. Her nose wrinkled at the sour yet distinct smell.

Magic inhibitors were clearly the culprit. There were many different kind of magic inhibitors and this one was from a large set of lacrimas, specifically ones that were mined from lapis lazuli. They were very effective, but the rancid smell was enough to put anyone off. Akira took a small breath and quietly leaned against her compartment door in an attempt to get a clear look out.

It was also a well known fact that the only place to get magic inhibitors that were mined from lapis lazuli was from the black market.

Leaving her bag behind, Akira slid the door open and stepped out of her compartment and into the aisle to investigate. Each compartment that she passed was completely quiet. The few that were open were completely empty besides the few strewn suitcases that had been left behind.

Akira frowned and looked around, peering up and down the aisles, ' _Where is_ _everyone?'_

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, smoothing out her tangled bangs. Whatever had happened here already took place and she was looking at the aftermath. Akira passed into second set of coach compartments. She spotted an orderly walking down the aisles, peering into each compartment.

"Oi!" Akira called out, running down the aisle toward the worker, "Where did everyone go? Do you know what's going on?"

He glanced up and he was almost surprised to see her. "Excuse me, miss- you can't be here."

Akira glanced past him down the rest of the compartment, "Does this have anything to do with the magic inhibitors? Is something going on?"

Another two orderly's came down the aisle and stood behind him. She was surprised to see that they were each holding a dangerous looking staff. Akira's eyes raked down and focused on the strange set of symbols that were glowing on the edge of the tip. _'What kind of train has their employees equipped with staffs?'_

"There is no need to worry," The man broke her gaze and he clasped his hands in front of him. "Everyone has been moved to the front of the train… For safety purposes of course."

"What kind of safety purpose?" Akira questioned she edged back just slightly and her gaze flickered between the three men. She didn't like the look in the third man's eyes. Her warning bells were going crazy.

His right hand reached out and he gripped her shoulder in a way that might've been friendly if it weren't for the painfully hard hold behind it. "You need to come too, it shouldn't take to long but we gotta clear out the rest of the train."

"Thanks," Akira attempted to shrug off the hard grip. Her disarming smile was ruined by the nervous twitch of her hands. "But I think I'll just get off the train here. It's getting late and so I'll just be on my way-" The man lunged forward and painfully pulled her wrist, causing her to stumble back. "Get off!" She yelped, shoving him back. Akira bared her teeth,"I don't know who you guys think you are but you'd better back off!"

"I'm tired of playing games," The second man spoke, he pulled his mask down that had been over his mouth and Akira's eyes widened at the dark tattoos that snaked down from the top of his head and disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt. "Just knock her out. We're wasting time."

The man who was holding her arm gave a snarl, "Fine but I'm not going to be the one carrying her. I had enough trouble dragging that stupid Fairy." Akira threw her fist out at the man holding her but he snatched her other hand out of the air and held it painfully.

The third man gave a laugh and raised his staff above Akira's struggling form, "At least this one isn't wearing armor." The top of the staff glowed a blue and there was a bright flash of light as electricity filled the air. Akira's mouth went dry and she stared in horror in realization of what they were about to do.

The staff whipped through the air and she did the only thing she could think of. Akira relaxed her grip for a second and then yanked with all her might, pushing the little bit of magic she had through her limbs. Her muscles bulged every so slightly and the man was clearly unprepared for the sudden force as he came toppling forward with her. Akira landed hard against the floor but it was nothing in comparison to the sharp thwack that struck against the man. Her would be kidnapper had stumbled into the path of the staff that had been meant for her.

Akira rubbed at her brushing wrists and stared wide eyed at the writhing man on the floor. Electricity ravaged his body, causing muscle spasms all long his limbs and torso.

Akira scrambled back away at the two men who were staring at the downed man like he was an idiot. The man with the staff took another test swing and his eyes held her with a bored contempt. "Thanks for that, now we'll have to drag this moron back too." There was another flash of blue and a distinct and dreaded sound of electricity filled the air. Jerking his head in her direction, he turned his gaze towards the other man, "Well get to it! Make sure you hold her still or I'll make you drag them both back yourself."

Akira didn't wait long enough for the other man to respond before she booked it back down the aisle away from the two men. She tried to push through her magic reserves but nothing more than a trickle came through. Running through to the set of compartments, she slammed the door shut and shoved a few open suitcases in front of the door. A piece of bright red cloth caught her eyes and she carefully tied the handkerchief around her mouth and nose in an attempt to curb the horrible smell.

There were a couple of bangs against the door, "Come on, little lady! I really don't have time for this-"

Akira ignored his words and instead looked all around for something, anything that could help her. The windows had no latches and even if she could break it open, Akira wasn't sure if she could risk jumping out of a moving train. Glancing at the compartment door, Akira bit her lip. It was only a matter of time before they got in. She really only had one option. Swallowing, Akira began to focus on the small dribble of magic she was receiving. Every grain of magic was shot through her system, up through her veins and into her limbs.

Stepping back, she took a running start and kicked as hard as she could against the metal raining. The pipes slowly began to loosen and finally after the fifth kick, the flimsy railing clattered to the floor. The sound of ringing metal echoed and Akira hastily snatched one up from the ground. Giving it a few test swings, Akira held it in front of her and barely held back a gasp as the door splintered open.

Akira instinctively ducked as a pulse of electricity was shot in her direction. The air was burning and one look at the two men had her with no doubts that they meant business.

Akira didn't waste any time going for the first strike. Her metal pipe came swinging down and struck hard against the man's staff. It struck painfully and Akira's went numb as pins and needles raced up her arms.

She ducked under the staff that was leveled at her and closed the distance between her and the second man. He was clearly underestimating her. She easily slipped by his guard and one hard punch to his face sent him stumbling back a few steps. Akira watched as blood dripped down the man's nose. The other one laughed and shoved past his friend. "You got some fight, little lady. Don't tell me we got another fairy on board? The boss will be mighty pleased with that."

His staff glowed and Akira scowled. Backing up, she held the metal rod in front, "I have no idea what you're talking about but if you're looking for a fight you're gonna get it."

* * *

Erza's head was pounding, it felt like the time Gray had accidentally bludgeoned her with his ice mallet. Erza let out a small breath, hopefully she didn't have a concussion. She went to check her head but found that her hands were tightly fastened behind her back. Erza squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remember what happened. The train had made it to their first stop. She went to go talk to the conductor and then... someone had attacked her from behind, the coward. Erza slumped down against the restraints, this was the worst week ever. First the job, then her seat and now she was stuck who knows where, caught by a bunch of amateur thieves playing around with magic inhibitors... how embarrassing. No one was ever going to know of this day. She'd have to kill them all to make sure that Gray or Natsu didn't find out or worse... Mira. Nope, Erza was willing to commit mass murder to make sure Mira didn't get a word of this.

She opened her eyes, there were ten men around, standing above her. Five in front, five in back, each of them holding what seemed to be wooden staffs. Erza eyed them suspiciously. Out of her experiences, wooden staffs were almost always more than what they seemed. They were probably lacrima infused if she had to guess. It fit the type and lacrima was easy to buy in mass quantities on the black market, the rates weren't too bad either of she was remembering right. She blew out a breath and her nose wrinkled at the smell. Glancing down at the chains she glared; magic inhibitors... And expensive ones at that. Erza slowly began to pull at the knots and loosened the bonds. If she got her hands free, she could grab the knife that she had hidden in her boot. The chains were a different matter though. Maybe she could-

"Don't even think about trying to escape, Titania." An icy voice abruptly announced from behind. "If you even sneeze at one of my men I'll have all the hostages killed."

Erza pursued her lips but kept silent. She quickly counted up the number of hostages. In all there were roughly thirty five, about six or seven were under twelve years old and those were just the ones that she could see from her angle of the other room, there were most likely more.

"Only a coward would hide behind hostages!" She spat, "Show yourself! Or do you not have enough spine to even look me in the eye?" Erza taunted, turning her head around.

She watched as a man stepped out from behind a wall of guards. Her jaw almost dropped when she saw his hair, it was a giant cube. Perfectly shaped, it bobbled up and down with every movement, swaying back and forth precariously like a block of jello. Erza had only heard of one man with such a ridiculous haircut...

"Alcott Sly." Erza dead panned, her eyes narrowing at the man in question, "I knew you were a coward but to stoop so low as to threaten children, have you no shame?"

"You say that I'm a coward but really the only people who are cowards are the ones who refuse to grasp the finer things in life." He replied, looking at her with distaste, "You guild mages think that you have the moral high ground but the ideals of chivalry and nobility are meaningless. Being nice doesn't get you anywhere in life. The end always justifies the means." Alcott remarked, smoothing the sides of his hair to be a perfect ninety degree angle.

Erza shook her head, "You're a fool. The only thing you're going to end up with is a pair of cuffs and a jail cell.

"Such bold talk from someone in your position."Alcott smirked, "I'm about to be one of the richest men alive after tonight. Not only with the cargo but I'm sure that many people will be willing to pay a hefty price for a chance to get a swing at Fairy Tail's Titania"

He crouched down in front of her and chuckled, "Though with a beauty like you, I might want to keep you for myself. I wonder how long it'll take before you're begging me to-"

Ezra snarled and head butted him in the face. With a cry, he stumbled back and tripped over the tail end of his cloak, falling flat on his back. While he was distracted she swiped the keys off the nearest guard, sliding them under the cuff on her right wrist.

"Boss, are you alright?!"

"Sly-sama!"

Ezra eyed his predicament in amusement. His hair was bouncing up and down like a bouncy ball causing his face to repeatedly smash into the floorboards. He tried to pull himself up but the weight of his hair was too much.

"Help!"

THWACK

"Me!"

THWACK

"You!"

THWACK

"Idiots!"

A few of the men rushed forward and grabbed his arms. It took two mages to stop his hair and another to pull him up to his feet. Erza felt a flicker of satisfaction when she saw his face. The middle of the mask was wet with blood, making the thin material press up against his skin. She could see the crooked outline of his nose, it was definitely broken.

The door slammed open, startling everyone. Another guard ran in, "Boss! Boss! We have a situation! Someone is... Boss, what happened to your nose?"

"Shut up! I don't pay you to ask questions! What's the problem?!" He growled. He pulled his mask down and wiped blood off his face.

The guard nervously shuffled, eyeing the scarlet haired mage, before whispering into his boss's ear. Ezra tried to listen in but she could only catch a few snippets.

"...someone, that is. The lacrima was fried, she..."

"...completely crushed boss!"

"...Its completely gone! I have no idea where to..."

Alcott shook his head a few times and scowled, "You six!" He cried pointing to a few of the men near the door. "Get rid of the problem, now!"

A few of the men frowned, "But Sly-sama, what about Titania?"

He sneered, "I put a lightning runes directly on the chains and around her. She can't move, let alone escape without the lacrima key."

The six men and the messenger ran out of the room. The boss huffed, "Pack it up boys! We're moving out in twenty!"

Ezra snuck the key into the lock and began to fiddle with it, "I hope you all have realized by now," she announced to the rest of the room, Alcott turned at the sound of her voice. "The moment that you-"

"Oomph!"

Something, no someone came tumbling out of the air duct and landed right in the middle of the room. A low groan sounded out. The figure laid there for a long moment before finally moving into a position where Erza could get a good look. She was surprised, it was a girl. She couldn't of been older than fourteen at the most, probably around Wendy's age. She was covered head to toe with soot, Erza watched as she slowly stood up and began to dust herself off. The girl sucked in a breath and froze at the sight of the guards surrounding the room. She glanced around before setting her sights on Erza.

The door slammed open and guards poured in the room. "Get her! That's the one the boss wants dead!" Dozens of staffs began to glow green, the air screamed as lighting filled the air. The girl dodged one bolt after another in vain attempt as more mages poured into the room.

Slamming against the wall, the girl looked into the group with terror before slowly raising her hands in the air, "Please don't hurt me!" She cried, her voice quivering, "I-I j-just got l-lost and then some s-scary m-men were c-chasing me! Really, I didn't do anything! I swear you got the wrong person!" She buried her face into her hands and began to sob, "P-Please d-dont hurt me!"

Erza's heart broke for the girl, she looked so scared. Everyone stood there, not sure what to do with the scene. Whispering broke out between the men.

"What should we do Sly-sama? I know you said kill her but..."

"She's just a kid, sure I like the money but even I got standards...

"...Nah, she ain't a threat. Just tie her up with the other passengers, I don't see what the big-"

"I say we should get rid of her boss!" One of the big men stated, sneering down at the shaking girl, "The less witnesses the better!"

Wide-eyed, Erza slammed against the restraints, making the runes flash blue. How could they sit there and debate the life of a girl like the weather! Erza growled and violently pulled at the constraints. She needed to get out of these chains!

A few of the men lowered their weapons and started to walk up to her, "Well," one of the men sighed, "What do you think Sly-sama?"

The sleazy man in question stared down at the girl with a look of disgust, "Is this the problem all of you have been complaining about?!" He scoffed and let out a barking laugh, "A ten year old little girl!"

He smirked and shoved through the crowd of mages purposefully towards the young girl, his hand sparking with electricity, "I show you how to deal with little runts, it'll only take like two seconds tops-"

 _Slam!_

Erza's eyes widened as the young girl jumped the man. Her kick swept through his legs and sent him stumbling back into the crowd of guards. Alcott took out two more men in the process and continued to break through his own ranks. The girl stepped over the fallen guard. Her previous expression of fear was gone and in its place was aggression. Scooping up a metal pipe, one that Erza hadn't noticed, the girl flipped it up in her grip and struck at another unsuspecting guard before stealing his staff right from his hands.

Striking the butt of the stolen weapon against the ground a few times, the edge brightened to a blue. Erza was reminded of Laxus a little as she watched the girl haphazardly swing the electric staff around. She didn't have the power he had but certainly she had aggression.

"You bitch! What did you do to the Sly-sama!" One of the men roared, "I'll crush you!"

Bolt began to fire from all directions, ricocheting off walls and other mages. The girl threw herself at the mages with a reckless abandon. Erza began to fiddle with the lock, she grew more and more frustrated with every blue flash of the runes. She slammed her fists against the floor.

Erza ducked her head as a staff went flying over head, it slammed into the wall, shattered pieces of lacrima went flying. Her teeth grit in concentration and Erza finally fit the key into the lock. Fiddling with it, she turned the thin piece of metal clockwise. But instead of freedom, she was once again disappointed with a blue glow that signaled failure.

Confused, she wretched the key out from under her cuff and twisted around to look at it. The lacrima crystal that should of been in the middle was cracked and practically missing. "Of course I had to steal the one key that was broken." She snarled, letting the useless piece of metal clatter to the ground. Erza closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. She began to review her options. The only way to break out would be by brute force but not even she had the ability without any access to her magic. She tried to move again but the runes placed around her glowed blue. She surveyed the rest of the room, _'There has to be some way out.'_ The red haired mage glared down at her restraints, her muscles strained against them. Movement caught her eye, a guard was sneaking up on the younger girl from behind. Brandishing a long dagger, he lunged. "Watch out!' Erza yelled in warning.

 _Swoosh!_

The younger girl did a full backbend, the whistling blade just missing the skin of her nose by inches. Striking blue eyes met her own and Erza was startled by the carefree look in the girl's eyes. Giving her a wink, the girl leveled her weapon up threw herself into her assailant, twisting her body in time to catch the edge of his spinning blade. Sparks edged along the edge of the pipe and she knocked him to the ground. She didn't stop for a moment and launched herself at her next opponent. Ezra watched the onslaught with calculated eyes, questions raced through her mind.

"Stop her!" Alcott cried from somewhere in the crowd, lighting arched and cracked. The air oozed with the burning smell of metal. The girl yelled something back that Erza couldn't make out over all the noise.

The girl blocked a blow from the left but it was a feint. A fist collided with her temple and knocked her to the ground. Men barred down from above, "Get her while she's down! Don't let her escape again!"

Ezra watched as the brown haired girl threw the pipe above her in a desperate attempt to block another strike. The two mages locked weapons, Alcott was slowly gaining ground as she was pressed into the floor. She cried out and gave way. The pipe slipped from her hands and clattered across the floor, the strain finally breaking the thing. Two dented pieces of pipe rolled across the ground before stopping against the body of another fallen guard.

Again and again, Erza cringed as the sharp whistles of wood whipped through the air and struck the figure that was buried under the multitudes of mages. She swore and began to repeatedly slam her chains into the floor, trying to break them apart. The girl was getting pummeled into the ground.

 _'If I don't get out of here, they'll kill her!'_ Erza clenched her teeth and punched the lock again. The floor board gave way with a snap. Erza cursed and lifted her hands off the floor. Broken pieces of lacrima were embedded in the side of hand. Runes began to flash a light green, flickering on and off. With a clang the left cuff fell off of her wrist. Eyes wide, Erza wanted to slap herself, _'Of course!'_

With her free hand she swept up more lacrima shards off the surrounding floor and shoved them into the lock. After a moment, the runes glowed green and melted off of her. Revitalized at the feeling of her magic gushing through her core, Erza snapped the chains in half. She charged into the fray and let her magic pour into a familiar spell.

"Fire!"

The room glowed green then everything was blinded with white.

 **Author's Note**

Updated: 5/24/18


	3. Operation Save the Train

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Three

Operation Save the Train

Akira dove behind a sliding compartment door and crouched behind the door.

That way! The kid went down the hall!"

She held a breath and cautiously watched as the horde of mages raced past her, out of sight. She peeked down the hall, the coast was clear. Akira slowly stood up from her cramped hiding spot and quickly doubled back the other way.

Somehow she had managed to make it past the first three men that had found her. It had been simple enough to shove their bodies into an empty compartment and lock the door behind her. Akira had made one fatal error, however. She had foolishly assumed that they were the only intruders on the train. She had been mighty surprised when she ran into a whole other group of mages. Apparently this train was infested. Akira swallowed and her nerves returned as the train seemed to rumble beneath her feet. At this point, she had no idea if they were still on route or where in Earthland these hijackers were planning on taking them. Akira still hadn't seen any other passengers and she was beginning to fear the worst.

At worst, Akira wanted to at least be able to get off the train but she couldn't help but worry about the civilians on the train. She held her breath and ducked behind another door as hurried set of footsteps came rumbling past.

Akira glanced down each aisle of the train before walking through to the next car. She was a little happy to see that it was the dining car she had managed to make it to. She was starving. Rubbing her hands together, she set her metal pipe down on a table and dug through the first meal cart. There wasn't much but she had managed to snag a few rolls and a bottle of sparkling cider.

It was a tense, quiet silence as she quickly scarfed down her scant meal. She brushed the crumbs off her shirt and set the half empty bottle back on the cart. Digging through her pockets, Akira managed to rummage up a few jewels. She placed the money underneath the pile of dishes. It would do no good if those goons took the money that she had left for the kitchen staff.

Akira fiddled with the straps on her pack before she was satisfied. She was happy that she had managed to grab her bag before making her escape. It had just about everything she owned in it. Akira grabbed her pipe and stood up on the table. Holding it up, she easily pried open the emergency exit and was satisfied when the emergency alarm didn't go off. She had suspected that they were disabled. The Fiore train system was no stranger to thieves and bandits. They had plenty of ways to detect and counter such things. If they had been working, the Rune Knights would've already been here and taken control of the train.

Shimmying herself up, Akira grabbed the edge and lifted herself up. She carefully leaned her weight away from the two black switches that were inside the hatch door. They would manually turn on the emergency alarm system, but it wasn't like Akira wanted to alarm the Rune Knights either. If she could, she just wanted to find a safe place to jump off, then she'd be home free-

"Don't move." A sharp crackle of electricity caught Akira's ear and she froze. Ever so slowly she turned around and caught sight of the staff that was less than a foot away from her jugular. Swallowing, she held her free hand up and placed the metal pipe down on the top of the train next to her. The wind blew her hair and she was having trouble curving the urge to spit it out of her face.

Leveling the staff down, the man grabbed the communicator at his hip, "Boss, I found the little Fairy. I got her pinned in the dining-"

Akira didn't hesitate, gripping the edge of the pipe, she swung it out and stuck him hard in the legs. The man cried out and stumbled back, falling down against the top of the train in a hard thump. The communicator lacrima cracked and tumbled off the top of the train car. Bearing her teeth, Akira wrenched the staff from his grip and threw it behind her, unaware of the trajectory she was throwing it in.

"What did you do?!"

A loud alarm wailed and both Akira turned in surprise. Her mouth dropped in slight horror as she began to realize what she had done. She could barely contain a groan as the hatch automatically closed, leaving them both trapped on the top. Akira's eyes narrowed and her ire turned on the man who was looking more defenseless than not. "My fault?!" She shook her head and flipped the metal rod in her hands. She swung it experimentally and leveled it at him, "This is your fault! You think I wanted to call the Rune Knights?!"

The two mages went stumbling as the train switched tracks. Akira could hear the rumble off footsteps beneath her feet and knew that she had already wasted enough time. She lunged, striking the man across the temple. Her hit was surprising even to her, the hijacker was out even before he hit the ground.

Flexing her fingers, Akira was delighted to feel magic pulsing through her veins, she pulled down the cloth over the nose and experimentally sniffed at the air. The reach of the magic inhibitors didn't get through to the outside of the train. She took a deep breath and relished in the feeling of magic through her limbs.

The feeling didn't last long. There was a muffled shout and suddenly her feet came out from underneath her. She landed right on top of a dining cart. Dishes shattered upon impact and Akira barely scrambled out of the way from another blast of electricity that was aimed for her. There was a smoking hole where the hatch had been and in hindsight, Akira could surmise that it probably wasn't the best idea to stand exactly where the alarm was going off.

Feeling blindly around her, Akira gripped the cool edge of the metal pipe and swung blindly. With the bit of magic she had coursing through her veins, the swings were much more precise and deadly. But that didn't mean that she wasn't outnumbered

"Get the Fairy!"

 _'Why do they keep calling me that?'_ Akira glanced around at the number of goons surrounding her. If she was going to make it out of here, she'd take a few of them out by surprise. Ducking under the first swing she jabbed the electric staff. The charred end swung past her shoulder and fired directly at the group of mages scrambling towards her.

She ignored their cries of anger and raced into the next car. She yanked the door shut and locked in behind her. The car shook from the banging.

"Got her locked on my radar!"

"She's over here!"

Akira groaned and glanced behind, they were coming up on her, she needed a way out and fast! She ran down the hall, hair flying.

 _'There!'_

At the end of the hall there was a small door, it looked like it could of been a service door or even an small chute for trash. Didn't matter really, it was the way out. Skidding to a stop in front of it, Akira tried to turn the door handle but it was locked. Giving it an experimental tug she grit her teeth. Akira repetitively rammed her shoulder against it, "Open up you stupid-"

Without warning the door gave way, she lost her balance and fell into the room. Dust blew everywhere making Akira cough. Holding her metal rod close, she pushed herself back on her feet and hastily shut the door behind her. She could hear muffled voices from down the hall and the stampeding of feet as her pursuers raced past her hiding place. Letting out a short sigh of relief, She tried to makes heads of where she had ended up. The room was cloyingly hot. She tugged at her collar and smacked her lips in a silent proclamation of thirst. Akira squinted through dimly lit room but she had trouble making anything out.

She rubbed her temples and cursed under her breath. The only way to get off the train now would to be if she somehow managed to turn off the alarms manually. Only the conductor knew how to do that. And if Akira had to guess, the conductor was probably either dead, knocked out or being held captive along with everyone else.

She stumbled over a group of heavy boxes and what felt to be like scrapped metal. Akira rubbed her shins, "Stupid box!" She scowled and pushed herself up off the dusty-covered floorboards, mindful of the newly acquired scrapes on her knees. Dusting off her pants, she turned towards the box and kicked it has hard as she could. What she hadn't expected was to box to kick back.

There was a pulse of energy so hard that it caused Akira to go reeling back into another set of boxes. She fell hard on the seat of her pants and hissed in pain. Pushing herself up by her elbows, she was surprised to see a faint light spilling out from the small webbed cracks she had left in the box.

Gripping the edge of her metal pipe, she got to her feet and carefully inspected the box. After a minute of contemplation, Akira carefully pried up the nails and opened the box. Digging through the straw that had been used for packing, she finally shimmied out the glowing thing. Holding it up, she examined it. Now that it was out of the folds of her clothing, it began to glow a little brighter, enough to illuminate the machinery. It was a key, something of the likes that Akira had never seen before. It glowed a bright blue and there were strange symbols around the silver handle. It was pretty big, almost the size of her palm. Akira rose a brow and flicked it a few times. Nothing, no flux, no tremor, the key didn't seem to do anything other than glow. It was magic, obviously, but Akira hadn't a clue on how she had activated it.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she examined the key a little closer. It had blue spiral marks around the handle, She had never seen markings like that before. The only thing she couldn't surmise was that it might've been some sort of lacrima enhancer.

A metallic groan sounded out and Akira flicked the light source upward to illuminate the thing that had startled her. Standing in front if her was a giant lacrima engine based coal furnace. It was old, outdated and probably should have been removed thirty years ago. It's size dwarfed the girl, towering a little over twice her height. Thick, hot bands of lacrima snaked around the base and the sides of the blackened metal, shackling it to the ceiling. The cords buried themselves deep into the machinery and out the belly of the mechanical beast. They shot down into the floor like thick roots of a tree. They burned a deep red and hissed periodically, letting off gasps of hot, dry air.

The furnace shuttered, spitting out a great plume of black smoke. She coughed, covering her mouth and nose. "What is with all this smoke?! Isn't that the point of the ventilation..." Akira's eyes widened, she laughed and climbed up on the furnace, carefully avoiding the hot lacrima rods and the streams of burning hot air. If she couldn't get off the train then she could get this train going in the right direction. And the only way to do that would be to get to the conductor.

She kicked the fan in and threw it off the wall that was to the side of the smoke shaft. The girl grimaced, the airduct was covered in greasy black residue from the coal smoke. Tucking her rod close inside her jacket she crouched down and stuck her head inside. What better way to sneak to the other side of the train than the ventilation?

"Find her!" A deep shout, erupted from around the bend, "I don't care if you have to tear down every inch of this place!"

Akira turned back towards the door. She didn't really have a choice now. Pushing herself up, Akira army crawled through the air ducts. She held the key in her mouth so she could have full range of motion along with enough light to see.

"All I have to do is double back through the air ducts, find the conductor and smash the magic inhibitors." She mumbled through her teeth, "And maybe if I'm lucky I'll kick a few sets of teeth in." Akira was looking forward to that. The train ride was supposed to be relaxing. When this was over she was going to demand her money back.

 _Crack!_

Akira shrieked and clung to the sides of the duct as the metal plating under her shook and wobbled. After a moment of silence she hesitantly felt the cool metal plating under her. She slowly began to inch her way forward... nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief she resumed her crawl until all of a sudden she found that there was suddenly nothing underneath her. With a crash, the duct came out from under and Akira fell forward. The metal rod slipped from her grip and disappeared beneath her. She desperately grabbed for the metal grate but it slipped out of her fingers. She barely had time to scream before her body slammed into the floor beneath her. Akira laid there for a moment, the wind completely knocked out of her as everything hurt.

 _'Not what I had in mind...'_ Akira winced and slowly her to her feet. She tried brush some of the ashy streaks off her clothes. She muttered darkly under her breath and rubbed a particularly dark stain on her pants. Akira froze when she realized where she was. Guards on the right, on the left, guards everywhere!

She forced a calm mask over her features and overtly stuck the key back into her pocket, _'Go through the air duct Akira! You can't go wrong with a half broken, ash covered air duct!'_ She internally snarked, surveying the room. She specifically noted all the exits. She brightened just a little when she saw the slew of the hostages in the next compartment. Akira could see the blue conductor uniform from across the room. At least she had managed to find him.

"Get her!"

Akira reflexively ducked at the shout as two bolts just grazed her head. Wide-eyed, she stumbled back from the onslaught of mages pouring through door.

 _'They're like cockroaches!'_ She dove out of the way as two more bolts fired at her. Keeping on her toes, she jumped back as more shots were rapidly coming in her direction. Her back slammed against the wall, she was trapped!

One of the men grinned and took a few steps forward, charging his weapon, "We got you now little mage."

She needed a plan. Glancing around the room she caught sight of the red-haired chick in...armour? Akira blinked, _'That's not a sight you see everyday.'_ Her eyes narrowed when she saw the glowing chains holding armor girl down. Akira could feel the the pull of the inhibitors, smothering her magic. Akira glanced around the room and caught sight sight of the large, pulsing lacrima that were set up on the other side of the room. She was just glad that she had managed to get as much magic as she did. The magic inhibitors were so strong it took Akira's breath away. If she managed to turn them off she might have a fighting chance of escaping.

Akira pursed her lips and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to put together a semblance of a plan of attack. There was no way she could take them all head on. Akira racked her brain for every trick she could think of. Her eyes narrowed every so slightly at the man with the huge cube for a head. How gullible were these hijackers? Her back hit the wall and she cursed her luck. Hopefully they were as stupid as they looked.

Turning her head, she held up her hands in surrender and looked at the group with the saddest look she could muster, "I-I'm s-sorry!" She cried, choking her voice up with as much emotion as she could manage. "I just got lost and then you guys were chasing me! I-I d-didn't mean to! I was j-just so scared!" Akira began to sob, she dramatically flung herself to her knees and buried her face into her hands. She braced herself for the electric shock that was sure to come. She had always been at acting.

Everyone stood there, not sure what to do with the scene. Whispering broke out between the men.

What should we do Sly-sama? I know you said kill her but..."

"She's just a kid, sure I like the money but even I got standards...

Inwardly Akira froze her position and her mouth just about dropped. Were they really falling for it? She was almost miffed at their comments. She wasn't a kid!

"...Nah, she ain't a threat. Just tie her up with the other passengers, I don't see what the big-"

"I say we should get rid of her boss!" One of the men shouted, boasting out loud, "The lesser witnesses the better!"

Akira bit back a scathing remark and forced herself to cry a little harder. It was embarrassing to stand here while they talked over something so stupid. Carefully she inched her way forward to where her metal pipe was. Loud mouth over there would be the first to go.

A few of the men dropped their weapons and started to walk up to her, "Well," one of the men sighed, "What do you think boss?"

"Is this the problem all of you have been complaining about?!" Akira heard in response, she frowned at the sound of disgust in his voice as he regarded her. "A ten year old little girl!" His laugh grated at her ears and Akira had the urge to punch him square in the nose. She tensed but made sure not to move a muscle out of place. Akira could hear movement around her. Completely closing her eyes, she concentrated in the sounds of footsteps coming. She circulated the little bit of magic she had left through her limbs.

"I show you how to deal with little runts, it'll only take like two seconds tops-"

 _'Now!'_ She whipped her head up and with a sneer, she kicked him as hard as she could.

She pump fisted when he went flying back, disappearing into the crowd of mages. Getting up to her feet, Akira scooped up the metal rod off the floor and wasted no time picking up another staff from the floor.

"You little bitch! How DARE you hurt Sly-sama!" One of the men roared, he leveraged his weapon and began to fire at her. His shots seemed to spurn on the others.

"Get her!"

"Stupid Fairy! Stand still!"

Akira, despite her predicament, grinned at the cursing man and stuck her tongue out. He let out a roar and charged, his staff swung wildly around, knocking down the mages in his vicinity. Green lightning misfired and ricocheted off the surrounding walls, hitting unsuspecting mages.

She slammed the butt end of the staff against the floor as she had seen others do and was happy for once to hear the ominous sound of electricity crackle in her favor.

She jumped into the confusion, ducking underneath swings and jabbing bouts of electricity at random. She threw herself into the mage in front of her, driving headfirst into his stomach. He cried out, swinging his arms wildly around to keep his balance. He stumbled back into the mages behind him, knocking them down with him. With the first staff broken, she picked up another discarded one and swung it around.

"I'll kill you!"

Akira whipped her head around at the sound of the boss' voice. Where was he? She scanned the the horde of mages in annoyance, they all looked the same! The girl side stepped under another slash, letting the one mage take out another. At this rate it would be easier to just take out the boss. If he was gone then maybe the others would leave.

"Watch out!"

Akira dropped at the shout. She choked and went cross-eyed as a whistling blade just skinned the tip of her nose. _'That was way too close!'_ She turned to the sound of the foreign voice and locked eyes with the woman who had just saved her life. A pair of warm, chocolate eyes met her own. They were filled with an expression Akira couldn't decipher. It baffled her and made her pause for just the briefest of moments. Shaking the look off, the girl flashed a small smile and made a mental note to thank armour girl after she was finished wiping the floors with these weaklings. Vaulting over the another mage, she zipped through the crowd. Looking around, she spotted her target. The magic inhibitors stood on totem pole like statues. The blue light leaking off was sickly and Akira pulled the handkerchief around her face closer. She had not gotten a few feet closer and already she could feel it draining her energy.

"Stop her!" There was a roar of anger and Akira looked back at him.

"You're too late!" Akira called back, holding her weapon out in front. There wasn't anyone close enough to stop her. Running forward, she held the metal pipe high above her head and smashed it against the lacrimas as hard as she could. The base shattered and the blue light came sputtering to a halt. With a victory smile and concentrated on the small drip of magic that was barely circulating. Soon she'd be able to go all out.

"You!" One of the mages yelled, pointing at her. "You ruined everything!" He charged her, brandishing a wicked looking scythe, crackling and sparking with electricity. Akira faced the man up and pushed at her magic flow. Her confidence began to falter as the ebb of her magic didn't increase. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse.

"Kill her!" Alcott cried again, urging the few men he had left into action.

Akira stumbled back away from a few blows and her eyes widened in alarm. Whatever she just smashed wasn't the magic inhibitors. Her limbs began to shake and Akira barely parried another blow. She went on the offense and mages fell away under her lightening quick jabs. Alcott snarled down at her and in a burst of speed smashed his staff across her temple, knocking her to the floor. The metal pipe fumbled from her hands, she made a grab for it.

"Get her while she's down! Don't let her escape again!"

Her arms shook with exhaustion and her hands were numb as she held her pipe above her in a vain attempt to stop the numerous blows. One of the men jumped on top of her and pushed her back down to the floor. In a desperate move she crossed his staff with her's, barley keeping the sharp tip of his lacrima from her neck.

"Is that all you got little fairy?" He sneered, leaning his weight down. The tip pushed into her jugular and Akira choked before shoving back.

"I'm getting real sick of you all calling me a fairy!" Akira's yell was lost under the the multitude of shouts. In one fluid motion the mage knocked the pipe from her hands. Akira threw her hands up. Blows rained down from above, she curled into herself and any attempt to strike out was severely punished by a number of strike to the offending limb.

Akira laid there in a daze, pain raked through her body. It hurt to breathe, much less do anything else. Two mages dragged her up to her feet. Each one twisting an arm too far behind her back. She cried out in pain as a large crack sounded out from her right shoulder, causing a burning feeling to rip through the muscles.

Alcott stood in front of her, his pearly white teeth fell into a practiced smugness that just begged to be punched. He jutted out his chin and slowly slicked down the sides of his ridiculous hair. "You actually thought you could defeat me?!" He began to laugh, "I am Alcott Sly, The most powerful lacrima user on this side of Fiore! As if you could ever defeat me, the most powerful lacrima user in Fiore!"

Akira hissed in pain, "You said that twice, moron." Rage filled his features. He grabbed her her hair and pulled her up to eye level. A large hand closed around her throat

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" He snarled, his warm breath washing over her. She stifled a scream, clawing against the hand choking her. "I'm going to enjoy this. Men! On my mark!"

Her eyesight was starting to get blurry and her head pounded. Akira's eyes wandered and met the the scarlet haired woman's across the room for the second time that day. She had an intense look on her face almost upset. It was the same look as before... Was she concerned? For her? No, that couldn't be, she had to be imagining things. But it was strange, the last time someone looked at her like that...

"Fire!"

"Requip!"

Akira was jolted by the yell, energized. Magic gushed through her, she kicked him as hard as she could in the groin, her attacker groaned and dropped her to the floor.

"You're too late!" The mage above her roared. Lighting cracked and Akira screamed, covering her ears. Light blinded her and the air oozed with ozone.

"Heaven's Wheel!"

Suddenly a shadow covered her, she heard the clash of metal and the cries of the men but couldn't see what was happening.

In a flash it was over. Hesitantly, Akira opened her eyes. Above her stood an imposing figure of silver. A pair of dual swords gleaned, bright and deadly. She looked around, all the hijackers were down. Swords covering the room from floor to ceiling. Shocked, she scooted away from the cut up men. Akira shook her head in disbelief, how had that woman taken down all the mages in an instance?! It just wasn't possible.

Akira's eyes settled on the fallen form of Alcott Sly and she felt herself burn in embarrassment. Sora-sensei would probably be pounding her head into the floor right now. She had gotten cocky, she had broken was one of her sensei's biggest rules. Akira clutched her head and gently massaged the tender part of her esophagus, She could already feel the bruises forming. She tried to rotate her shoulder but a spike of pain stopped her. Akira grimaced, that was gonna hurt for a while...

"Are you alright?"

Akira jumped upon hearing the voice and looked up. She eyed the armor clad mage for a moment and bit her lip.

Ezra leaned down and held her hand out, "You're not hurt anywhere are you?"

Akira still didn't answer, her gaze locked on the woman's kind features. She was thrown off by the look of warmth in the strangers eyes, it froze her in her place. It was the same look she had been given a few moments ago. Why was she looking at her like that, it didn't make any sense.

Snapping out of her trance, She ignored there hand offered and pushed herself up to her feet. She didn't need to appear even more weak than she already did at the moment. "No, I'm all right miss uh.."

Light covered the woman and the armor changed back into the simpler one she had on before, the swords dissipated. "Ezra Scarlet, mage of Fairy Tail."

Akira back straightened and a lips thinned, mage of Fairy Tail... Her hands trembled with anger and humiliation, it all began to make sense. No wonder they were calling her a 'fairy'. They assumed that the only two mages on the train were together. It was an understandable misconception but one that Akira deeply resented. Guild mages… Akira held back the urge to spit at her feet. They were the worst, "Well geez! Thanks 'Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail'. What would I have done without you!" Akira drawled her cheery voice dripping with sarcasm. Turning on her heel, she made her way into the next compartment. Akira wasn't sure what what hurt worse, her shoulder or the fact that she really wasn't bad sure what she would've happened if Erza's wasn't there. There was a slight twinge of guilt but Akira's shooed it away. She didn't have to justify herself at all.

"You're a mage right?" The red haired mage questioned, matching her in stride.

The girl didn't bother to answer, she's hated the questions. Questions led to more questions which usually ended up with multiple persons trying to drag her to an orphanage or a guild or even a jail cell- that sadly, had happened on numerous occasions.

Erza frowned, "Are you here by yourself? Where are your teammates?"

Akira stopped in a huff and turned on Erza, giving her a glare, She needed to stop this before it began. "Listen, thanks for saving my life and all that. I really do appreciate it but I'm kind of busy and not in a particularly chatty mood. So if you could kindly piss off, I would really appreciate it." With that she stomped away. Akira ignored the second feeling guilt at her rudeness. This 'Erza' was a guild mage and of there was anything that she had learned over the years it was to stay as far away from guild mages as possible.

Ezra raised her brow, did she offend her? Sighing, she followed the grumpy girl through the door just a few steps behind."At least tell me your name."

The younger girl crushed a staff under her heel, destroying the lacrima runes around a group of passengers. She sighed, "Fine, name's Akira. Happy?"

Ezra gave a nod of her head and gently laid the unconscious passenger on the floor. "What guild are you part of? You are part of a guild right?"

Akira didn't respond and moved on to the next passenger. Maybe if she didn't acknowledge the older mage she would go away, that usually worked for her other problems. And that was what this lady was, a problem. A problem that would go away if she ignored it long enough.

The two mages worked efficiently in silence, Erza kept glancing at the mysterious girl. Something didn't add up and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. "So Akira," Erza muttered, breaking the quiet, "What were you doing on the-"

The train jolted, the wheels hit hard before changing tracks again. Akira fell back in surprise and landed on her back. She let out an involuntary cry as an intense pain ripped through her shoulder blades, she tried to move it but a series of pops stopped in her tracks. Akira grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, something was definitely wrong with it.

"Here, let me see it." A soothing voice interjected from above. Akira hissed in pain and glared defensively at Erza.

"I'm fine," She grounded out through clenched teeth, moving to a sitting position, "there is nothing to see."

The scarlet haired beauty frowned and crouched down in front of the girl, "That didn't sound like nothing."

"Well obviously you heard wrong," Akira rebutted, her voice straining ever so slightly. She inched away from the mage that had suddenly invaded her space, "I am perfectly-"

She let out another cry of pain as the older girl firmly gripped her shoulder and gently felt along the muscles, "The tendons are strained and the rotator cuff is pulled. It might even be torn." The guild mage murmured, pulling her hand away. She eyed the black and blue bruises forming a ring around the young girl's neck. In fact her whole body was covered in nasty looking bruises. _'Alcott really did a number on her.'_ Erza glared at the man in question who was slumped down against the floor. She was tempted to beat him again and string him up from the back of the train. Entertaining the thought, Erza turned back towards the girl and moved closer to see if she could get a better look. She really didn't like look of the cut on her forehead. It was oozing pretty badly. "My guildmate Wendy is especially good at healing injuries like this. I could take you-"

"No!" Akira snapped jerking herself away, her eyes widened in alarm. There was no way in the entirety of Earthland that she was going to let some random guild mage take a crack at her.

Erza let out a sound of disapproval and frowned, "I really think that you should at least see a healer-"

"I am perfectly fine on my own!" Akira spat, scrambling to her feet. She didn't want or need anyone else to help her! She hurried over to the next set of hostages and put as much distance as she could between her and the other mage. The girl glared down at her aching shoulder and her cheeks burned with anger, _'Stupid guild mages! They think they're all that! I don't need anyone's help! Especially not from some snotty guild!'_

* * *

Akira had never been so happy to see Rune Knights in her entire life. It had been laughably easy to slip through the crowd of people without being questioned once. Everyone just assumed that she had been another hostage, which was perfectly fine with her. The last thing she needed was an interrogation from the Rune Knights.

Akira snickered, the nosy red-haired mage had been mobbed by the press and the government dogs as soon as she had stepped off the train. Man, she was persistent... Akira shivered at the thought. The red head had spent the remainder of the ride trying to convince her to come to the guild with her, threatening to drag her there if she didn't at least get medical treatment. The girl shook her head, _'She probably would have too.'_ Shouldering her bag, she escaped into the city of Magnolia. The farther away she got from the train, the faster she could forget this fiasco ever happened. After all, what were the chances that she would ever see that armoured lady again? Magnolia was a pretty big city.

 **Authors Note:**

Updated: 5/24/28


	4. Fairies Brawling and Blossoms Falling

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Four

Fairies Brawling and Blossoms Falling

"-nd don't come back!"

Akira hissed in pain as her back hit the dirt for the fifth time that day. She should have expected this. Of course no one was going to hire a kid, especially a dirty, bruised one. But it wasn't her fault! It's not like she had a particularly big bank account to buy fancy clothes to make her look more 'presentable'. Akira curled her lip and pulled the few coins she had out of her jacket pocket. A small bitter smile wormed its way on her face, _'I probably don't have enough to even open a bank account.'_ She mused, staring dryly down at her basically empty coin pouch.

Gripping her aching shoulder, Akira slowly pushed herself to her feet, making sure to spit on the ground in front of the shop. The bastard just assumed that she was gonna steal, he didn't even give her a chance! All she needed was a job or two, enough to get her a place to sleep and maybe even a hot shower.

Giving the door one last kick, Akira left. Dusk was settling and most of the shops were closing up. She walked for a few minutes before settling down in an alley, it was getting pretty late. The busy city sidewalks and market areas was emptying and many workers were rushing along to get back to their families. Akira ducked into a side street, no need to get caught in the bustle.

The cramped, narrow pathway widened out she found herself walking along worn sidewalks and dusty pathways. The low burning sun smoldered a deep golden, touching everything in its touch with a copper sheen. Akira wandered down the abandoned cobblestoned street, passing run down buildings and long since lived in dwellings. She kicked a few pieces of crumbling bricks and sighed, she'd have to come up with a new plan and try again tomorrow. The girl made her way along the backstreets of the shopping district, taking on the scenery and making a mental map of where potential jobs could be found. Akira spied a narrow passageway out of the corner of her eye and she ducked into the alleyway. Leaning back against the grimy wall, she set her bag in between her sprawled out legs. Akira dug her hands through her jacket pocket in search of her dinner. She had swiped an apple from shop owner number three. He was a particularly rude man who had told her in not very nice words to go back to the red light district. Akira's jaw tensed, "Stupid fruit man..." She spat and her lip curled into a snarl, "He's just lucky I didn't shove the apples down his throat."

Her hand grazed something warm. Confused, she gripped the object and slowly pulled it out of her pocket. Akira's eyes widened, it was the silver key she had taken from the train. She pulled it up at eye level, it began to glow a soft blue, illuminating her face. The days events were beginning to catch up with her and the throbbing pain in her shoulder seemed to spike as if the very thought of it aggravated the wound. She leaned forward and grimaced. The dull throb sharpened to a deep burn. Letting the key drop to the paved cobblestones with a clatter, Akira let out a hiss and gripped her right shoulder. She felt along her contracting, swelling muscles before setting herself back against the wall. Akira shifted her body so her so all the weight was on her left side.

The once shining bricks seemed to cool down, their rough exterior was starting to stain with darker purples and grays as dusk settled and the sun fell behind the city of Magnolia. Blue shimmering light shined up from the ground and refracted off the walls, illuminating Akira's face and hands. Looking down at the bright key, she noticed something dripping down on the pavement. She frowned and lifted her hand to touch her dampening cheeks. Sniffling, Akira held herself close, tucking her knees under her chin as she leaned against her travel worn knapsack. Lifting the apple out of her pocket, she took a big bite. Juice spilled down her chin and Akira wiped her tears on the back of her hand, maybe tomorrow would be a better day. Akira turned the key in her hand once and then another two times, at least she now had something she could get a little money from the pawn shops.

* * *

Lucy was not having a good day. No, in fact this was probably one of the worst days she has had in a while. "Stop him!" She yelled out, jumping over a fallen barrel.

The jerk had stolen her bag! And that wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact that her gate keys were in there! Lucy grit her teeth and teared down the busy market street after him. If he touched her keys... Lucy shivered, Aquarius was gonna kill her...

Sliding around a corner she ducked under a cart, "Stop! Thief!" She bellowed trying to get someone to help her. Lucy pursued him along the courtyards, jumping over bushes and beautifully cultivated flowers. The man raced around the blossom trees. Shaking her bag, the purse snatcher let out a laugh and flaunted the stolen handbag, "Hah! You'll never catch-"

 _Slam!_

Something dropped out of the trees and landed on the guys head. With the high pitched squeal he flew forward to the ground, landing hard as his chin slammed into the dirt. Her bag went flying, spilling the contents of her purse everywhere. Scrambling to his feet, the man looked down at stuff everywhere. "Damn brat!" He spat, roughly wiping blood from his split lip. "You're gonna regret messing with me!"

"Hey!" Lucy yelled, closing in on the two figures. Cursing, the man gave a vicious kick to the figure sprawled out on the ground and scrambled up and over the wall. Lucy slowed to down a stop and watched as the scum bag disappeared through the busy street. Blowing a puff of hot air through her nose, she examined the courtyard. Her stuff was thrown everywhere but least nothing seemed to be damaged, speaking of which...

"Are you alright?" She asked, turning back toward the person who had saved her keys. It was a younger girl, her dark brown hair was full of twigs and leaves and her clothes was covered in grass stains.

The girl let out a weak laugh and pulled herself to her knees, "I'm fine." She murmured, picking up Lucy's bag, "This happens way more than you would think." The girl got up to her feet and dusted herself off, "I believe this is yours?" She handed the bag back to Lucy.

Lucy let out a small sigh and gratefully took the purse out of her hand. "What a jerk..." She murmured, looking ruefully down at the plethora of items shrew about the street.

"Yeah, I hate people like that." The brown haired girl muttered in agreement, leaning down to pick up a few jewels and a tube of lipstick. Together they assembled the rest of the the blonde's things together in no time flat.

Gripping the straps on her bag she peered inside and let out a sigh of relief, everything was accounted for. "Thank you so much for the... help?" Lucy whipped her head around, the girl was gone. "Hmm." The busty blonde frowned as she pulled her belt with her shimmering keys out of her bag. "I didn't even get a name."

* * *

"Excuse me! Sorry!" Akira yelled out, shoving past another group of people as she raced down the sidewalk. She kept a death grip on the messenger bag as she dogged around the market stands and under carts. She was late, again.

Her side throbbed and she could feel the bruise forming underneath her loose clothing. Letting out another burst of quick apologies, Akira rushed past another group of tourists, ignoring the yelps of surprise and anger as she bumped shoulders and grazed elbows.

It was her own fault she was late. She shouldn't have gotten caught up in another person's problems. In reality, it was just simply clumsy of her to drop down from the tree without checking if anything was beneath her.

It had been more of a surprise to her than anything else when she had landed on top of the thief. It was none of her business if a stupid chick got her bag stolen. But the woman had been so grateful that Akira just ended up helping gather up her things. The smart thing to do would to turn a blind eye but even her cold exterior wasn't immune to everything.

Akira finally reached the store and breathed a sigh of relief. She set the bag on the counter, nobody was here yet.

"You're late."

Akira froze at the voice that came from behind, wincing as she slowly turned around. She just about fell down in relief as it was Sam and not Cece, "Sorry, I ran into a little trouble but I managed to get the turnips and the blossoms you wanted." He wordlessly turned and looked at the dirt covered bag and back at her. Akira shrunk under his his expressionless look. Grabbing the soiled cloth bag, he peered at its contents. "They are only sorta bruised this time..." Akira spoke, fidgeting under his piercing stare. "In my defense they are way better than the corn from last week."

Sam snorted, "You got that right kid. At least you didn't bring back watermelons. I still don't understand how you managed to set the whole cart on fire-"

"I didn't set the whole thing on fire!" Akira objected, putting her hands on her hips.

That little incident had been an entire fluke on its own. Even a week after the train hijacking, her magic was still trouble to get back under control. Whatever was in the lacrima enhancers had really messed up her magic flow and had managed to send a few bouts of mana flooding into her system. A particularly violent one had caused her to stumble back into someone's grill and the chain reaction hadn't been good.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, so you've said. But you gotta tell me." He demanded, slapping his open palm down on the counter for emphasis, "How do you manage to get everything including yourself covered in dirt every single time?"

Akira sheepishly pursed her lips and stared down at her feet. She brushed some soil out of her hair, "It kinda just happens..."

Sam snorted and shook his head, "Well don't let my daughter see you like that. If she catches you tracking in mud again even I won't be able to stop her from kicking the crap out of you."

Akira winced at the memory, her brief relationship with that rolling pin was not something she wished to continue. "I'll keep that in mind." She brushed some dirt off of her shirt and hurried back into the kitchen.

Slipping on her apron, she jumped up onto the stool that they had recently acquired for her and began to wash her hands and face. Akira grabbed a big metal serving spoon from out of the silverware drawer and scrutinized her features in the reflective surface. Her pale, freckled face was dirt free along with her hair. She examined her shirt and carefully dabbled at the grasses stains, particular carefully over her tender left side. Akira nodded her head in approval as she examined the shirt, no one would suspect a thing.

She jumped down from the top of her stool and made her way over to the pantry. The girl pushed open the swinging door and tugged out the bag of potatoes. Akira lugged them over to the sink and dumped about three-fourths of the bag into the the left side of the sink. Flicking on the industrial sized faucet, she watched as the potatoes submerged under the water. Akira grabbed a cutting knife and slowly began the meticulous task of skinning and slicing the vegetables into wedges.

Akira smiled to herself, she was really lucky to land this job...

 _"Seventh time is the charm, right?" Akira slurred, exhaustion overriding her cognitive functions. It had been five days since she had arrived in Magnolia and two since she had last had a decent meal. She rubbed her tired eyes and slapped her cheeks in an attempt to wake herself up. Taking a deep breath, the girl slowly made her way up into the little cafe, wincing as the door rang noisily behind her._

 _"We're closed! Come back tomorrow!" A gruff baritone voice bellowed out from the back of the small shop._

 _"I'm uh.. I mean, I'm not here for uh eating." Akira rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration, "Keep it together Keegan." She muttered, rubbing the ache from her eyes._

 _There was a pause, "Then what are you here for then?" A man walked through the swinging door and looked down at her with a flat almost bored expression. Her scrutinized her appearance and let out an annoyed sigh. "You here for money?"_

 _Akira squirmed, technically she was here for money but when he put it like that. "Well yeah but-"_

 _"Then no. Listen kid, this ain't no charity why don't you just run along to the orphanage down the-"_

 _"I am not a begger!" Akira exclaimed hotly, flicking her tangled bangs out from her line of sight as she tried to reclaim what dignity she had, "I haven't begged a day in my life and I don't plan to now! I want the job." She explained, pulling out a flier that was tucked into her jacket pocket._

 _"The job?" He asked, raising a brow. Frowning, he walked over and snatched the paper from her hand. He took a pair of reading glasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on. His eyes darted between the paper and the young girl in front of him. Akira fought the urge to fidget under his piercing gaze. He looked her up and down, his eyes narrowing when they reached her neck. The girl hunched down and resisted the urge to flick her collar up._

 _"Give me one good reason why I should hire you?" His eyes peered into hers and on any other day, the intensity would've made her nervous but at this point, she could hardly care._

 _Akira was tired. She hadn't eaten a decent meal in a week and frankly, standing out in the horrible weather was making her much more irritable than usual, "Give me one good reason why you shouldn't hire me." Akira shot back, not registering the words before they were already out. She cringed and was already mentally crossing his place off the list._

 _But instead of being told off, the man blinked and let out a laugh, "Welcome to Sweet Cream Cafe." He struck out a hand, "Sam Chancey, your new employer."_

 _Akira couldn't believe it. She was so surprised that she fumbled to even shake his hand, "Akira Keegan-"_

 _He waved off the rest of her introduction and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, "Be here tomorrow at opening, 7:30 and don't be late."_

 _She was gone before he had even been able to take his lighter out._

It was a pretty simple job, basically she was busboy, dishwasher, messenger, anything really. She did all then odd things that needed to be done here and there around the cafe. The first few days were a mess, she had no idea what she was doing and she was still recovering from the run in with the stupid mages on the train. By the second week though, she had gotten the hang of it. Her shoulder was still pretty sore from the train fiasco but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

The money wasn't bad either. Akira was slowly saving up, she probably had enough for a train ticket and it helped that Home Base, the alleyway, was free for use. It really cut down on the cost of living expenses and it was getting into summer so she wouldn't have to worry about the cold for a while. The best part about it was that she could stay under the radar; apartments and motels kept records, bricks didn't.

Akira thought that she had the job in the bag. It was a perfect little set up; get up at 6:00, wash up with the hose behind the gardener's house across the street and 'liberate' breakfast from the fruit stand on the corner of Strawberry Street. Then work from 7:30am till 6:00pm.

But nothing could have prepared her for the storm that was Charlotta Viola Chancey.

Sam's daughter had been on some sort of super fancy trip with her colleagues at a bakery convention or something like that when Akira was hired. So imagine her surprise when she walked into the shop only to be bodily chased out by the fiery woman. Cece was about average height with a thin figure and beautiful chocolate locks that fell a little bit past her shoulders. Not that you could tell most of the time as she usually had her pulled back into a bun or a high ponytail.

She had warm eyes and an infectious laugh that just seemed to bring everything to life. With a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue, Cece gained the respect of many confectioners and dessert enthusiasts across the country of Fiore. But for all the charm and niceties that she was known for in the public spotlight, it didn't reflect anything on who she really was in person. Akira found her unbearable. Bossy, annoying and horribly picky about just about everything and she had taken to giving Akira an unhealthy amount of attention. Everything she did was wrong, her hair, her clothes, even her mannerisms were completely unacceptable to the "master chef".

Despite a rough first meeting (Akira still held a slight grudge) a short of strange friendship had been struck up between them. Cece never hesitating in grabbing the Akira's ear and yelling at her till her head spun but she was also never shy in showing the girl how to do things correctly. It didn't matter how many mistakes Akira made or how clumsy she was. Cece would bark out a laugh at her misfortune and properly explain how to mince, season, drizzle or whatever needed to be done. Akira would snip and complain but would also tolerate the woman's strange mood swings.

Cece was irritable, quick tempered and imperious; she constantly jabbing barbs at her and told her to move faster. It drove Akira nuts, though she couldn't really say it was all bad. Dodging all the things that were thrown at her throughout the day was like agility training and her own constant attempts to sneak past Cece's watchful eyes and purloin samples could definitely labeled under stealth training.

But sometimes Cece would look at Akira and get this strange look on her face. Her eyes would damper to a melancholy brown, her constant scowl would soften and her hand would twitch like she wanted to reach out and comfort her.

That had only happened a few times, but each one made her more and more uncomfortable. It was like the devil woman actually cared...

Akira shook her head at the thought, her smile dropped a little. What a ridiculous idea, she knew better than to assume things like that. The blue eyed girl stared at her reflection in the sink looked into her own eyes. Aura grit her teeth, her hands clenching against the side of the basin. She had long ago learned the consequences of believing in anyone besides herself.

* * *

Erza lazily swirled her drink at the table she was sitting at and pursed her lips. She ignored the questioning looks her guildmates gave each other. Taking a small sip, Erza let out a long sigh and slumped back in the booth with a scowl. It had been two weeks since the train incident and she still hadn't seen or heard anything about the girl. _'It_ _just doesn't make sense.'_ Erza brooded, drumming her fingers along the table. She had spent all of last week, going from guild to guild in the area in search for information on the girl. Each one had said the same thing; no one had ever seen nor heard of the brown haired, blue eyed girl named Akira. She even sent a letter to the Guild Census Association to see if she was even registered as a mage through any Legal, Dark or Independent Guilds that they had information on. She was still waiting for the reply, hopefully they had something for her.

"Akira..." Erza murmured, staring hard at the bubbles in her drink. She knew that the girl didn't get medical treatment. _'I wouldn't of gotten any at her age either...'_ A wiry smile akin to a grimace contorted her stoic features. She could still see the look of distrust in those angry, baby blue eyes. Her heart lurched in her chest and a pang of longing burst from her heart. Erza recognized the look the moment she had seen it; it was the same expression she had seen in the mirror everyday for the first twelve years of her life. They were the exact same and that's what scared her the most.

"You've been sitting there for an awfully long time Erza, is everything alright?" A soft voice brooked her thoughts and a dainty hand rested on her shoulder. The scarlet mage lifted her head and looked into the concerned face of Mirajane Strauss.

"I'm fine." Erza answered lightly, "I'm just a little run down from my last mission." The scarlet mage waved her hand distracted and stirred her drink in thought, _'Maybe it is a waste of time, searching for one girl. I mean, I don't even know her.'_

Mira frowned, "Run down?" She murmured, "You haven't been on an actual mission in the last two weeks. Not including the fact that you haven't ripped into Gray or Natsu since you got back." Mira gave Erza a look and her hand settled on her hip, "Running off at random times, strange moods and don't think I didn't hear about you trashing guild halls down in Onibus."

"It's nothing Mira, really." Erza sighed, rubbing her temples with an armoured hand.

Mira let out the smallest of breaths and looked over her shoulder and caught Cana and Lisanna's eye. Giving the slightest of nods to the both of them, the youngest of the Strautuss' winked and Cana gave a two finger salute back to Mirajane.

The white haired beauty turned back toward Erza and a smirk stole over her lips, "Nothing huh?" Mira proclaimed loudly, catching a few of the other guildmates attentions, "Then I guess I'll just get rid of this letter that just came in~" Mira sung as she used her takeover magic to transform her hand into that of Satan Soul's.

"Letter?" Erza lifted her head and slowly turned back around. Her eyes widened, Mira sweetly smiled and her right hand burst into dark flames. Erza jumped up and tried to snatch the letter from the barmaids left hand. Shifting her hand slightly to the right, Mira dodged the mage, letting Erza stumbled past her. "You're going to have to do better than that," Mira teased, dangling the letter in front of her face.

"Mira..." Erza spoke, her stoic voice echoed across the room. The guild quieted down and a few pairs of eyes settled on them, "I would like to have my letter.

Mira hummed, "But why?" She mock questioned, putting her hands on her hips, "I mean if there is nothing going on then there would be no reason for you to get a letter from-" Mira looked down and turned over the letter to get a good look at the stamp. Her brow quirked, "The GCA? Why would you-" Mira's eyes went wide and the bartender's eyes sparkled, "Is it a secret love romance?!" She squealed, stars appearing in her eyes.

Erza blew a strand of hair out of her mouth, "No!" She remarked hotly, "I do NOT-"

"Come on Erza, don't be shy," Mira emplored, looking starry eyed at the letter, "Everyone knows that the Guild Census Association is a foundation for finding people, specifically loved ones. Who is the mysterious lover you are searching for?!"

"Ooohh~" Happy thrilled, flying up above the two mages, "Erza's got a boyfriend!"

Erza went turned her head away and her cheeks turned a dark red. She knew the rumors about what the GCA was used for and she did not like it.

Cana bellowed out a laugh. "Spill it girl!" She grinned as she tipped her head back to take a deep quaff of her seemingly never ending supply of booze. "I want every detail!"

"Oh my goodness! Are you pregnant?" Lisanna exclaimed, cupping her hands around her mouth, "Is that why you've been so subdued lately! I can't believe-"

The card mage cackled and slapped her hand loudly down on the table, "One night stand eh? Was he at least good in-"

"I'm not pregnant!" Erza cried out in alarm as the stories began to get wilder. "And I'm not looking for a boy!" Erza shouted, leveling a pointed glare at both Mira and Cana.

The room went silent, Cana choked on her drink and fell into a coughing fit. Mira was positively beaming and whispering broke out between the on looking mages.

"Placing bets now!" Cana shouted, throwing her cards on the table, "Erza's secret girlfriend is actually a lesbian princess that may or may not have gotten her pregnant!"

There was a pause, "I'm in!"

"Me too! Double or nothing!" Mages raced to the front of the bar, jumping over one another to place their money.

"Nah," One guildmate remarked, putting a stack of bills on the table, "Not a princess, I bet it's that really hot cat that showed up that one time. She was a total babe and is friends with Erza. It's gotta be her!"

"I don't remember anyone like that-"

"Oh! You were on that mission to Clovertown weren't you?" He grinned, wrapping an arm over his friends shoulder, "Well let me tell you! Her name was Matilda or Adrianna, something like that but anyways she had a huge-"

"Betting is MANLY!"

"Pregnant! Well..." Juvia murmured, her cheeks went bright red, "To be pregnant with Gray-Sama's!" Her face steamed and hearts were in her eyes, "Oh Gray-Sama~!" She sighed.

Macao grinned lewdly and eyed Erza, "You thinking what I'm thinking Wakaba,"

The mage in question let out a laugh, "Oh you know it, Macao."

"Hot lesbian sex!" They both shouted with glee as blood ran from their noses.

Erza pinched the bridge of her nose, she could feel the oncoming headache, "Mira-" Erza glowered shooting an exasperated glare at the bartender, "Give me the letter!"

Mira rose a brow, "Not till you tell me what's been going on." She stated firmly, holding the letter away from the scarlet haired mage.

Erza clicked her tongue and brooded, 'There is no way I'm telling her about the train ride.' The scarlet mage swore, biting her lip, 'I'd never live that down.'

Both girls refused to back down, they were standing nose to nose with the other and mages around them backed away from the tension.

Cana wolf whistled, "Pucker up and kiss her Scarlet! You know you want to!"

Happy began to fly around her head, "Erza and Mira sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~! First comes love, then comes-"

Erza's brow twitched and her fingers curled into fists. Grabbing the blue cat by the tail, She dragged him down to eye level. "You want to die don't you?" Erza hissed. With a twirl of her wrist, She swung the blue cat around and hurled him at Cana. The card mage ducked and Happy rocketed over her head. His fuzzy blue head slammed into Elfman.

"Happy!" Natsu let out a cry and jumped out of his seat.

"Hey! Who did that!" Elfman bellowed, whipping his body around. Natsu shoved Elfman aside and sent him slamming into the counter. Money from all the bets went flying and Cana's booze spilled over the counter and onto the floor.

"Natsu!" He shouted, slamming his fists through the counter, "It's not MANLY to attack from behind! You should be a real man and fight-"

"Elfman! You idiot!" Cana roared, "Don't touch my booze!" With a last shout she kicked him in the back and sent him crashing into the next table where Levy was enthralled in book. Wood went flying and the guild's residential bookworm cried out as Elfman fell down on top of her. You could barely hear the muffled shouts out from under his muscles.

"That was not manly..." Elfman groaned, rubbing his head. Suddenly he found himself dragged up by the color and face to face with the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"The hell do you think you're doing bastard!" Gajeel snarled, twisting the collar up, "I'll beat your stupid grey haired head-"

"Gray-Sama is not stupid!" Juvia roared throwing a wave of high powered water into Gajeel, "Juvia will defend her love until the final breath she takes." The jet of water slammed the mage through the wall and sizzling hot water rained down on the Guild.

Juvia looked triumphantly around, "No one messes with Juvia's Gray-Sama no-" Her foot slipped into the puddle of Cana's drink that had been spilled on the floor and she went flying back. Throwing her hand out to steady herself, her flailing wrist slammed into a tray that had been set at the edge of the counter. A cup of hot coffee flew forward and broke into the back of Gray's head, spilling steaming liquid through his black hair

Whipping his head around, he spied a laughing Natsu, "You bastard!" He turned around sent a spray of ice at the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu blocked the spray with a flick of fire. He bared his teeth, "You want to fight popsicles?"

"I'm not going to ask again, Mira," Erza seethed, the warning in her voice, "Give it to me!"

"No!" Light exploded through the room and Erza tackled Mira with a war cry. Chaos erupted and the entire guild was in shambles.

Tables and chairs went flying, you could hear the zinging of swords clashing. Erza was now on top of Natsu slamming his shoulders into the floor. The pink haired mage grunted, hooking his leg around Erza's, he flipped her over and held the mages armoured wrists into the floorboards. "I got you now Erza!"

"Natsu!" Lisanna called out from behind the bar, "Be careful!" She admonished sternly, "You wouldn't want to hurt the baby right?"

Natsu's eyes went wide and he looked down at Erza, "Oh!" He sheepishly grinned, "I thought you had gained a little weight but I guess you're just-"

Erza's eye twitched, "I. Am. Not. Pregnant!" With one hand, Erza ripped Natsu off and threw him into the crowd of brawling fairy tail mages. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to comment on a lady's weight?"

"What ladies? I don't see any around here." Gajeel snickered under his breath.

"Ahem~" A faint voice interrupted from behind the Dragon Slayer, "Would you like to repeat that, Gajeel?" Evergreen readjusted her glasses and gave him a frightening smile.

The doors to the guild slammed open, "Hey guys!" Lucy called as she stepped through the door, "You'll never guess what just-"

"You wanna go, flamebrain! Don't just fall out of the air like that dumbass."

"Well it's not my fault you're too stupid to move out of the way!"

"Do you wanna say that to my face!" Gray bellowed, throwing his shirt off.

"I AM saying it to your face pervert!"

The celestial mage trailed off as she took sight of the Guild, mages were sprawled everywhere and many were still fighting. Natsu and Gray were punching each other, Elfman and Gajeel were down for a count. Juvia was sitting in a pile of clothes, smelling them? Lucy sweat dropped, "Come on guys, it's ten in the morning, is it really necessary to-" Lucy let out a squeal as a pair of swords embedded in the doorway just above her head.

"You can tell me, Erza- I won't judge! Is she cute?" Lisanna called out, riling up the mages.

Cana laughed, "Hey, Lucy! Nice of you to join the party!"

Lucy turned to the sound of the familiar shouts, "Cana?" Her eyes bulged when she caught sight of her guildmate. "Where did you get all that money?"

The card mage was seated out on the counter like a queen. Her legs were tucked underneath her in a pile of cash and a gold chain hung around her neck. Every nook and cranny of the scant clothes she was wearing had money tucked and shoved into the smallest of cracks. Lucy sweatdropped, she looked like a prostitute. Giving a Cheshire cat grin, Cana fanned herself with a pile of bills, "We got an ongoing bet going, you want in?"

"I am not in a relationship with a lesbian princess!" Erza roared, her scarlet locks waved dangerous around her.

"Well, that's my cue." Cana winked and jumped off the counter, barley dodging a well aimed knife. Sticking her tongue out, the card mage disappeared into the crowd.

"Cana!" Erza roared, "Face your punishment with honor!" The armoured mage equipped a sword and jumped into the fray of the fighting mass after her.

Lucy wildly looked around in bewilderment, "What's going on around here!"

Lisanna snickered and shook her head, "You know, the usual." The white haired barmaid slid a glass across the counter top. "You got something in your hair." Lisanna murmured. Leaning up over the counter, she delicately combed her fingers through Lucy's silky golden locks. "Hmm..." Lisanna hummed as she pulled away.

"What?" Lucy asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing really, just a blossom." The barmaid shrugged, twirling the white petals deftly with her finger tips. "But it's rather pretty isn't it?"

Lucy studied the small flower and her mind wandered, "Oh!" The blonde exclaimed, snapping her fingers, "You won't believe what happened to me while I was shopping!" Lucy eagerly spoke to Lisanna. "You know how I went to go shopping down in the marketplace today?" The blonde pressed on at the barmaid's nod of confirmation. "Well I was trying on this really cute black and white striped skirt and this guy jumped through the screen and snatched-"

* * *

Erza sat at the counter and stretched out her arms. It was pretty quiet, most of her guildmates were down for a count and it would probably be a while before a lot of them woke up. Leaning her head down on her hand, Erza watched the two other girls quietly chat and giggle at the end of the counter.

"Cute, aren't they?"

Erza glanced over her shoulder, "Mira..." She sighed, "I'm not checking them-"

Mira giggled, "Oh- I know, I just meant that it's nice to see them getting along; Lucy and Lisanna." Mira nodded toward the pair, "It really a relief, I... Well, I was worried when Lisanna came back." Erza rose a brow and turned to look at Mira. The barmaid paused in wiping down the counter, "Lisanna... She had trouble adjusting, everything was different; the people, the town and especially past relationships." Mira pursed her lips and took a long glance at Natsu. "And I... I didn't help matters much either. The first month or so she came back," Mira took a quick glance over her shoulder and leaned forward, "I tried to set up her and Natsu together- Not in a romantic way of course!" She amended, at Erza's look, "But it wanted things to be easier for her. At least, that's how I tried to justify my own feelings."

Erza nodded slowly, "I remember, that was when you sent Lucy on that wild quest wasn't it?"

Mira blushed, "All I wanted was to give Natsu and Lisanna an afternoon together; to reconcile things, Get to know each other after all this time."

"One afternoon?"

Mira giggled, "I admit, I was a bit pushy- Okay, a _lot_ pushy." She admitted at the glance, "Lisanna was so mad at me, she didn't speak to me for a week. Looking back on it now..." Mira trailed off and took a breath, "Looking back on it now I realized that I was more worried my own feelings instead of hers." Mira took a seat down beside the scarlet haired mage, "I was worried about something I had no control over." She let out a soft sigh and her hand rested in the palm of her hand. "I wanted things to be the way they used to be; Lisanna the little girl that needed protecting, Lisanna the innocent and naive child who was pledged to marry Natsu. I tried to take matters into my own hands. She's my baby sister and it took me a little bit to realize that she's grown up just like everyone else. Her magic has grown exponentially and she's adjusting just fine. And I'm..." Mira breath hitched, "And I'm doing better at not treating her like the child that... left me all those years ago."

"Mira, why are you telling me this?" Erza asked, her brow furrowing

Mira gave Erza a knowing look, "You're worried- and don't even try to deny it, subtlety is not your strong suit. I don't know what's going on or why-" Mira delicately set the GCA letter on the counter and slid it towards her. "-but what I do know is that family has to stick together. And if you're worried about something that you don't have control over. I'm here for you, we're here for you. Fairy Tail is here no matter what and I may not understand this situation completely but I will do my best to try to! And we will do our best to cheer you up-" Mira winked, "-despite you wanting us or not."

Erza looked down at the letter and back at Mira's shining face. Her eyes widened and her eyes narrowed playfully, "This was planned wasn't it."

Mira buffed her nails incredulously, "I don't know what your talking about."

Erza rose a brow, and gestured to the rest of the Guild, mages were sprawled everywhere. She snorted, "Was Cana in on it?"

Mira giggled, "You do feel better don't you? A guild brawl always always brings life to the place."

Erza chuckled and shook her head, "You do realize that those rumors are going to stay around for the next couple of months."

"What's Fairy Tail without a little excitement?" Both girls looked at each other and laughed. "But seriously Erza," Mira sobered and grabbed the other girl's wrist, "If there is something really bothering you should talk about it- You don't have to talk to me of course but it might just help if you talk to someone."

Erza took in Mira's earnest face and she let out a long exasperated sigh, "I've looked everywhere Mira. A working mage her age should be under the supervision of a guild and it worries me that she's not under any major jurisdictions. I know that I don't really know Akira but I just-"

"Okay, slow down." Mira soothed, "How about you start from the beginning and we'll take it from there?" She suggested, tapping on the unopened letter, "First of all, who's Akira?"

 **Author's Note:** Updated 6/15/18


	5. Waitressing Isn't As Easy As It Looks

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Five

Waitressing Isn't As Easy As It Looks

Mira tilted her head in thought, "What if she is a traveling mage? Now I know what you're thinking-" She soothed, holding her hands up at Erza's sceptical expression, "It's not very common and from what you told me she's pretty young, but if she isn't identified with any guilds around here she might be from a far away place. Even another country perhaps!" Mira pursed her lips, "Though... it would be odd," She murmured, putting her finger up to her lips, "-traveling mages usually travel in groups of two or three."

The scarlet haired mage vehemently shook her head, "I don't think so... No, I'm certain she isn't." Erza stated, her expression darkened slightly and she bit her lip in thought.

The white haired mage took in her guildmates expression. She dropped her head in an open palm and her eyes drifted to Erza's brooding eyes, "You're pretty certain for only meeting her once before." Mira hummed curiously, raising a brow.

The scarlet mage let out a long sigh and swirled the remnants of the long since melted ice cubes in her glass. "I just... can't explain it Mira. We met on train- well I told you the story..." Erza rubbed at the condensation on the side of her drink and stared glassily at the table, "When I leaned over her bruised body, I looked into her eyes and all I... I just-"

Mira leaned forward in anticipation, "You just...?"

"I... I looked into her eyes Mira," Erza spoke in a hushed tone, "-and all I saw was myself. I saw the pain, the loneliness and the anger." A bitter chuckle slipped out but it was more in spite than anything else. "She's just as stubborn if not more so then I was."

A smile tugged at Mira's lips, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't really know." Erza admitted as she dropped her hands into her lap, "But what does it matter anyways?" She confided, looking down at the table. "I mean... Its not like it's any of my business. I don't even know the kid! I'm… Am I just wasting my time?"

Mira said nothing for a moment. Leaning forward, She grasped Erza's hands in hers. "Caring about someone is never a waste of time." She spoke firmly, "Maybe there is nothing wrong and you may never see her again." Mira calmly stated, catching her gaze, "But having those feelings isn't wrong nor should you think that-"

"Hah! Let's go Luce!" A voice abruptly announced from behind.

Aye!"

A squeal of protest sounded out, "Natsu! Happy! What are you doing?!"

Peeking up, both girls watched as Natsu dragged Lucy away from the bar area by the arm up to the job request board. Mira giggled and looked over to Erza who stared stoically at the scene.

Lucy punched Natsu in the head and ripped her arm away, "Don't you know it's rude to just drag people around, you dumb-"

"Ooohh! What about this one?" Happy thrilled as he swooped down and swiped a request off the board.

Natsu clutched it in his hand and nodded in approval. "Fighting bandits is awesome! Look at this one Luce!" Natsu shoved the paper right into the blonde's face.

"Natsu!" She sputtered, pushing the request out of her mouth, "I can't read it if it's right-"

"You can't read?" Happy cheekily interrupted, "Wow, I knew you were dumb Lucy but I didn't realize that you were THIS dumb!"

Lucy's eyes narrowed, "Then why don't you read it for me, cat!" She exclaimed, shoving the already crumpled sheet right into Happy's face.

The paper engulfed the exceed. Blinded, Happy stumbled back until he fell right off the table he was standing on. Letting out a cry, Happy jumped into the air and flew behind Natsu, "Wah! Lucy's being mean!"

"What are you're doing flame brain?" Gray remarked as he sauntered over from across the guild. Snatching the request from off the floor, he barely glanced it over before letting out a scoff. "This job is in Bosco you moron. The reward wouldn't even pay for the train fare to get there."

"No one asked you, you moron!" Natsu barked flippantly.

"You're the moron, moron! I'm not the one who can't even handle a train ride!" Gray sneered.

"Well at least I can handle keeping my clothes on!" Natsu mocked as he pointed at Gray's discarded shirt and pants on the other side of the room.

"Ah! When did that happen!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the familiar bickering and turned back towards the request board to look for another job. Mira glanced at the red head out of the corner of her eye. Erza was still staring at the scene but instead of a brooding frown, a ghost of a smile that hadn't been there before graced her lips

"Go on Erza." The white haired beauty spoke, shooing the armoured mage away. "Your team needs you."

Giving a slight nod, the stoic mage abruptly stood up from her seat. She turned to walk away but hesitated, "Thanks Mira." She spoke, raising her hand in a half wave. "Tell Cana and Lisanna the same." She didn't bother to wait for a response from the white haired beauty before walking towards the Natsu and the others.

"Hey Nee-chan!" Lisanna stepped behind the counter and slid up next to her sister.

Mirajane gave her sister a dazzling smile, "Lisanna!"

The youngest of the Strauss' jerked her head towards Erza and the other mages by the request board, "So how did it go?"

"Natsu! Gray! Stop FIGHTING!"

Mira looked over and gestured to an imposing Erza standing over the broken forms of Natsu and Gray. "I'll think she'll be just fine." She murmured, pulling out a few glasses from under the countertop.

"That's great!" Lisanna remarked, before faltering for a second, "Well, then I should probably tell Cana that stage two isn't neces-"

 _Slam!_

Bursting through the back door, Cana stood there in all her glory. Her body was dripping with whipped cream and she was wearing nothing but the remnants of strawberry cake and a pair of high heels. Her cheeks were flushed red and she was swaying slightly from side to side. Letting out a laugh, Cana hefted a monstrous looking fire arm over her shoulder.

"What the hell Cana!" Lucy shrieked, flabbergasted at the mages appearance. "Are you drunk?! It's only eight in the morning!"

"Get a load of this Scarlet!" Cana slurred, completely ignoring the celestial mage. Pulling against the back, the card mage cocked it and took aim.

Lisanna went wide eyed. "Get down!" Grabbing Mira, she dragged her sister underneath the table. Cana balanced the gun on her shoulder and began to fire. High powered strawberry cakes fired across the room at deadly speeds, hitting anything and anyone without discernment.

Erza turned around at the noise, "Cana, what are yo-" She got cut off by a cake right to the face.

Strawberries and sponge cake slid down the front of the armoured mage and whipped cream dripped from her hair. Lucy paled and ducked under a table away from the projectiles and from Titania.

"Desecration..." A low growl cut clean across the room.

Lisanna and Mira peeked their heads above the bar. The guild was absolutely covered with the stuff. Whipped cream dripped from the ceiling and most of the members in the Guild were stained red with the strawberries.

"DESECRATION!" Erza bellowed, her hair waved around her dangerously as she requipped into battle armour. "I WILL AVENGE THE MOST BELOVED DESSERT!"

"Bring it on Scarlet!" Cana shot back, brushing her hair over her shoulder as she once again took aim.

Tables began to fly and the popping of the rapid fire echoed across the room. Lisanna face palmed, and looked back at her sister, "Okay, so maybe Cana and I went a tiny bit overboard..." She gave an awkward grin, that seemed to say, 'what can you do?'. Lisanna yelped as Mira dragged her down again as a sword sliced through the space they had just occupied a moment ago. Shattered glass rained down over their heads. Lisanna let out a nervous chuckle and ducked her head sheepishly at her sister's look, "I don't suppose that I'm not going to get out of-"

* * *

"-cleaning this up am I?" Akira nervously clasped her hands behind her back to hide her sticky hands. She winced as a particularly big chunk of burned meringue fell from the ceiling and splattered on the floor in between her and the devil woman.

"What. Happened?" Cece seethed, her words more of a snarl than anything else. Akira couldn't hold back the slight wince and shuffled back from the piercing look.

Akira gave an award winning smile, "Funny story actually..." She took a step back as Cece took two more toward her. "I know potato rolls and sweet buns were on the menu for today, as they are everyday of course- which is kind of boring if I might add-" Akira rambled, holding her hands up in an effort to placate the furious woman, "-and I know you said 'no cooking' after the uh 'incident' with the oven last week but it's your fault really if you think about it. You were being pretty ambiguous," She let out a small yelp as her back pressed against the white washed walls, "I mean 'no cooking' really depends on how you define what cooking is and I didn't use an oven this time around, so I thought that-"

"Oh you thought did you?!"

Akira tried to duck away but Cece had her by the collar of her shirt. "Who gave you permission to make decisions in MY KITCHEN!" She roared, dragging her up to eye level.

Akira reflexively grabbed the wrist twisting into her smeared apron. "Well in my defense," She strained, trying to break out of the iron grip with no avail, "-the saucepan was too small and the burner level thing for the flame sticks so it's not really my fault-"

"Do you have any idea how close you were to burning the place down, brat!" The fiery chef hissed, "Look at the mess!" She yelled, gesturing to the food covered kitchen. "Not to mention you could have burned your own face off! Are you out of your mind! What in Earthland were you possibly thinking?"

Akira's stomach dropped as she took a good look around the charred kitchen. She carefully avoided her employer's chilling glare, "At least the fire extinguishers worked?" Akira hesitantly spoke, pulling at the apron strings that were beginning to choke her. The room dropped ten degrees and Akira shirked back from the icy glare.

"Get the hell out of my kitchen!"

Akira's eyes went wide, _'I'm so fired.'_ With a bang she smashed through the swinging doors and skidded face first across the wooden floor. She cried out as her shoulder blades dug into the splintered wood and scrambled back as the devil woman came marching through the broken doors.

"If I ever see you cook in my kitchen again without my explicit permission," Cece threatened, twirling a wooden spoon dangerously in her hand, "I'll beat your ass right into next week!" Akira gulped as the chef leveled the cooking instrument down at her, "So if you got anymore 'thoughts', keep'em where they belong- In. Your. Head." She stated, poking the spoon into her chest with each word. "Are we clear, Keegan?"

"Crystal." Akira rushed, grabbing her throbbing shoulder as she pushed herself up from the floor.

"Good, now get out of my damn restaurant!" Grabbing her arm, Cece threw Akira up on her feet. The woman took a shuddering breath and muttered something that sounded like 'damn brats' before storming back through the smashed remains of what was the kitchen door.

Brushing herself off, Akira shook the particles of food out of her hair with her hand and cradled her hat to her chest with the other, being careful not to move her shoulder to fast. "Beat me will you?" Akira scoffed, roughly ripped apart the apron strings from behind her back. "I'd like to see you try..." She caught a glance of the blackened, food spattered kitchen through the broken wood.

 _'I really messed up this time didn't I?'_ Akira's eyes slowly slid over the disaster and her lips firmed with an uncharacteristic amount of seriousness.

This was the second time this week she had been kicked out of the restaurant early for damages. Not only would the cost get taken out of her paycheck but Cece would only make her life even worse than it already was out of spite. Akira clenched her fists before letting out a long dejected sigh and tugged her fingers through her sticky, sugar tangled tresses. If she was going to make up for the cost of the damages she'd need to pick up another job and she wasn't going to get very far unless she got the meringue out of her hair.

But even if she didn't find one this afternoon she'd be fine. She had a good amount of cash saved up and maybe this time she could spend a little more time looking for one that actually pertained to her skill set.

 _'You'll find something way better than this place!'_ Akira consoled herself as she ducked behind to counter to grab her things. She spent hours cleaning, cutting up vegetables, and don't even start on that humiliating outfit that Cece would force her into to waitress. Akira was sure the devil woman made that thing just to make her suffer.

Cece would always bark orders at her across the room like the bossy person she was. Sam always nice, the guy liked to sneak her samples every now and then from the counter but somehow his thievery always landed her in trouble.

The worst was when that devil woman would attack her with that scratchy sponge because she wasn't 'clean enough' and would 'scare customers away'. So what if she wasn't the cleanest person in the world, who cared?! A little dirt never hurt anyone. Akira nodded her head, she didn't need to be constantly dodging knives thrown at her and constantly dodging invites to their house every Tuesday for dinner even though they both knew she wasn't going to come anyways.

 _'You don't this job, Keegan.'_ Akira coached as she buckled the last buckle on her bag. _'You've been fine on your own and Magnolia is just one pit stop for some information_ _and that's all.'_ Giving a final nod, the girl huffed it over her good shoulder, "Well I'm good to go." She muttered. Giving the place one last glance, Akira turned to leave. _'I'll just make a quick stop in the red light district and then be on my-'_

An iron grip of her upper arm stopped her in her tracks. "Good to go?! Where in Earthland do you bloody well think you're off too?!"

Akira whipped her head around only to come nose to nose with Cece. "I'm leaving?" She sputtered, annoyance creeping into her voice as she took a deliberate step away from the woman invading her space. "Just like you told me to a few minutes ago, remember?"

"Leaving?!" Cece snorted incredulously and tossed a bucket with a rag and polish at her. Akira stumbled and half caught the mess in the crook of her throbbing arm. She bit back a hiss and glared viciously at her employer. "You aren't "leaving" until this place is spotless!" The brown haired chef snapped, pointing her finger vaguely around the cafe.

"You want the whole place polished?!" Akira gaped, looking around the interior. The floor was dirty as it was. She'd have to mop the whole floor and then manually scrub the polish in, tile by tile.

"Inside and out." Cece affirmed, her eyes glittering with mischief and something a little darker.

"But that will take me all day!" Akira whined, already feeling the ache her arms were definitely going to have by then end of the day.

Cece crouched down till she was eye level with the Akira, "Better get started then!" The chef grinned and patted the girl's cheek in a mock attempt to convey sympathy. Scowling, Akira shoved the hand away which resulted in her dropping the slew of materials that had been thrust on her. Cece turned away with a flourish and marched back into the kitchen,

"And get rid of this mess!" She cried with her usual impatience, gesturing dramatically at the pile of splinters and metal that had once been the door. "Doors opens in one hour and I don't even want to smell the scent of sawdust let alone see one speck of-" Cece's voice faded out as she walked farther into the kitchen and out of earshot.

"Typical..." Akira muttered, fighting back the sneer that was threatening to work it way on her face. If Cece was anything, it was predictable and the truth was that one more paycheck wouldn't hurt. Stooping down, she picked up her supplies and eyed the floor with a calculating gaze."Gonna need a mop first," Akira assessed, sliding her stuff over the counter as she hopped over it in one smooth movement. She strided over to the maintenance closet and pulled against the handle, it was locked. Frowning, Akira jiggled the handle with a bit more effort before kicking the door in frustration. "The one day I need to get into the closet, Sam has the day off... unbelievable."

"I don't hear any scrubbing!" A yell pierced through the cafe.

Akira winced at the shout, "I'm working on it!" She shot back, turning to glare daggers at the kitchen.

"Well then work faster! You're not getting paid to sit around brat!" Cece's voice echoed from the kitchen, not missing a beat.

"You're not getting paid to sit around~" Akira imitated in a ridiculous high pitched voice, but softly enough that her employer couldn't hear, "I barely get paid at all." She mumbled, reflexively pulling a few twisted bobby pins out from under the rim of her hat and into the keyhole, "It would be nice if you gave a me a second or two to unlock the door." Akira grunted as she twisted the metal up into the tumblers, "-if you weren't so impatient maybe you would take the time to take the stick out from up your-"

 _Click_

Akira gave a smug grin as the tumblers locked into place. She gave a satisfied smile as the door creaked open. Grabbing the necessary supplies, Akira Let out a small sigh and made her way outside to begin what would be a very long day.

* * *

By the time the cafe had officially opened, she had mopped and polished about half of the floor. She had made sure to do the entrance and the area in front of the counter first so it would be dry by the time the morning rush came through. The last thing she needed was a lawsuit put against the cafe because someone fell. No doubt she would be blamed for something that went wrong regardless but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Akira watched people come and go through the doors and right on past her to the front of the cafe. A few times she has to scramble back to make sure that she wasn't stepped on by any customers rushing to get their morning coffee before work.

It was a nice day today, weather wise, compared to the previously rainy days that had been plaguing the skies this week. It was humid but Akira was grateful for the sunshine. More people were eating outside than inside compared to most other days. It was a lot easier to clean when there weren't people constantly tracking dirt in and out.

Using a cloth, she wiped the last bit of the residue off the tile and moved on to the next one. Akira brushed her hands on her already polish covered apron and glanced up at the clock, it was about ten thirty now so there was going to be a nice lull before lunch to get under the few tables that were left.

She was uncomfortable with the idea of cleaning right under someone's feet while they sat at a table and ate. Besides, she didn't think that the customers liked it very much either- well most of them. There were a few particular customer that she had seen through the doors a few times a week that seemed to love having people serve them. Just last week was an incident bag she remembered quite clearly.

Akira had seen the waitress, Mika- Akira didn't really even know her, they barely ever crossed paths during work hours- come rushing through the doors in a complete meltdown after a lady had 'put her in her place' as Akira had overheard from her station behind the counter.

She had only got a glance at the woman but it only took one glance to tell exactly what kind of person she was. The woman was a bit older, in her mid forties at the most but Akira had worked enough odd jobs to know how much money she had. Her tailored scarves and expensive perfume was only a taste of what she lived with.

Akira scowled a scrubbed a little harder at the tiles beneath her, she hated rich people who thought they could just walk all over everyone as they pleased. She probably had a slew of sycophants and servants who let her have her every whim. She was probably so used to getting everything she wanted that she couldn't treat people with common decency.

 _Snap!_

The noise shook Akira out of her musings and she stared down at the broken pieces of the scrubbing brush that were clenched in her fists. She hadn't even realized that she was gripping it that hard. Letting out a sigh, she stood up and collected all of her materials. She needed more polish anyways so it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Kira-chan!"

Akira turned at the shout and she barely had time to let out a yelp before she was nose to nose with Mika. Falling backward, she felt a pair of nails dig into the back her arms and yank her up right into the busty waitress.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Mika exclaimed, squeezing the life out of the poor girl. Akira groaned and tried to pull back but she only got sucked in deeper into the void that was her chest.

"Mika-"

"Oh my goodness! Is there anything I can do?" She puffed out her lip and ran her pretty manicured nails through Akira's scalp, completely ignorant of the girl's blueing face. "I know this really good masseuse who can get all the-"

"Mika!" Akira choked, turning her head to the side in a desperate attempt to get air, "Y-You're c-choki-ng me!"

With a airy gasp, Mika let Akira go. The girl stumbled away and grabbed the counter to steady herself so she could catch her breath. Giving the older girl a scathing look, Akira straightened out her hat and gave a long suffering sigh, "What do you want?"

Mika raced up to her with a squeal, "Kira-chan-"

"Don't call me that!" Akira huffed, crossing her arms with a scowl.

"I really really need you to do me a tinsy winsy- itty bitty-" Akira's brow raised as Mika inched closer and closer to her with every adjective.

"What do you need?" She spoke, cutting off the next dozen 'itty bitty's' that were sure to come. Mika would be barreling over her by the time she was done.

"-favor. You see those tables over there?" Mika asked, pointing to the far tables that were on the edge of the cafe patio outside. Akira squinted, there was a crowd of people surrounded at the far table- Just a couple guys, regulars if she recalled. They weren't very forgettable, not only their wealth but their egos preceded them. Most of Magnolia had heard of these pretty boys with a thing for rich food and rich girls. An acidic taste filled her mouth, she'd done a few jobs with Sora-sensei in Shirotsume Town cleaning up the problems that their family's companies had thrust onto the lower class parts of Fiore.

She turned and gave the waitress a small nod, "Yeah? What about it."

Mika flashed a brief smile, "Could you bring their to the table for me."

"Wait why?" Akira frowned, turning to give the waitress a look. There hadn't been very many people here all day. The only times she was ever allowed to waitress was when they were absolutely mobbed with people and even then, Cece had pretty much forbid her from waitressing. She had said it was because Akira was a 'public safety hazard' due to her clumsiness but Akira suspected the real reason was because of child labor laws.

Not that she really cared, a job was a job and it wasn't like most people cared how old she was anyways. Either way, she didn't really want to waitress, the stupid uniform that the cafe issued was embarrassing. And this was a pretty exposed place, she had no desires to be seen by a lot of people. Akira shook her head, all in all it was a bad idea.

"Well…" Mika fidgeted and she shyly turned her head away from the piercing look the girl had drilled into her head, "It's just that one of those guys…"

Akira's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "One of those guys…?" She trailed off in anticipation and impatience.

"One-of-them-is-an-ex-boyfriend-and-i-slept-with-his-best-friend-and-so-i-can't-be-seen-around-him-because-"

Akira slapped her hand to her forehead and took a small breath and tuned out what would be a very long and very dramatic explanation of something stupid. "All right, I'll do it." She snapped, waving away the rest of what Mika was ranting on about.

"Oh thank you Kira-chan!" MIka squealed, throwing her arms around the girl to pull her into a death grip. Akira choked at the sudden attack and just barely ducked under what would've been an assaulting kiss to her cheek. Akira wretched herself from the manic grip of the teen and scrambled back towards the kitchen.

Honestly, Mika was way too clingy for her tastes.

Striding through the open doorway, Akira slowly looked around to see if Cece was watching before grabbing both trays of food. The last thing she needed was to be seen taking food. The devil woman would probably choke it down her throat and throw her out of the restaurant… again.

Balancing one tray on her hip and the other on her left hand, she strided out of the kitchen. Akita turned and frowned when she caught sight of Mika. The happy-go-lucky girl had a rare frown on her face and she had an almost pensive look to her. She walked over to the waitress, "I got it." She remarked, surprised when Mika jumped and stumbled back.

"O-Oh! You scared me…" A weak laugh bubbled up, but it fell flat. Mika's hands were shaking, which was strange. It wasn't cold outside and it wasn't like she was nervous. Hell, Mika could stand in front of anyone and say anything. She was outgoing, loud and probably one of the few people in this world who was willing to still try and be friendly with her.

"Don't forget to ask if they want refills." Mika softly reminded the girl, "Remember! I satisfied customer means-"

"-a satisfied chef and a paycheck. I know, I got it." Akira frowned, something was off. At Mika's nod, she shook off her doubts and turned to walk out of the cafe.

"Good luck Akira."

At those parting words, the girl slowed to a stop and whipped her head back to look back over her shoulder. Mika had never ever called her by her real name. It was always nicknames and cutsie variations of her first name.

 _'What's up with her?'_ Akira wondered, her eyes narrowing in confusion. Mika never ever had listened to the protests of her being called by anything by her full name. And by the earlier display, she didn't think she'd ever get called by her given name. And Mika's tone- something just seemed off. But Akira shook her head, maybe she had finally gotten through to the older girl. She gave a small grin, hopefully she had earned enough respect around here to get it. After all, she was already twelve- it was high time she got some respect from the people around her.

Shrugging it off, she made her way towards the table. Scooting past other customers, she set the tray down and quickly distributed the food among the boys. It was a bit difficult, fangirls seemed to surround the table and it took a few snaking twists of her torso and a couple of hard jabs of her elbow to get everything where it was supposed to go.

Akira sulked down at the dirty looks that were thrown her way. She wasn't even supposed to be out here. Why should she bare the ire of these girls? She was on a bit of a time crunch, if Cece called her back and she wasn't in the cafe...

"Oh wow~ You have such silky hair!"

"Isn't he dreamy~ Lookie there, Nini! Isn't he just a-"

Akira fake gagged at the girl's sentiment before turning back towards the boys. One of them, the silver haired one to be specific seemed to be in the middle of recounting some sort of story of some kind. Akira hadn't really been paying attention but it was a little uncomfortable of how closely the older girls were paying attention to him.

She shivered, _'They're like predators.'_ She mused, inching away from the girl perched on the table to her right. Akira could swear that one was drooling.

"And what can I get you to drink?" She spoke flatly, taking a small notebook from her pocket as she stared uncaring at pretty boy number one. _'Just get the drinks and go.'_

"-and then I said 'like I already said, I never repeat myself.'-"

Akira strained to be heard among the obnoxious laughing and it was clear that the boys were ignoring her. Biting her lip, Akira loudly cleared her throat and looked impatiently from the kitchen back to the table.

The teen paused in his speech and flipped his head over to get a look at her. "I'll have a strawberry splash with a lemon on the side.

 _'A fruity drink for a fruity guy, unsurprising.'_ Akira acknowledged quietly to herself, nodding slightly at the order before bodily moving herself in front of another group of girls. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight and she swore that their glares were searing into her skin. Forcing herself to ignore their ire, she turned to face the other teens at the table. She wasn't even able to get another word out before the guy at the end silenced her with a look of contempt. "I'll have nothing from this establishment, thank you." He spoke with a roll of his eyes. "Anything from this district will probably taste like piss water."

Akira's eyes hardened just slightly at the sentiment but she negated in saying anything once again. This district may not be upper middle class but it was well taken care of by the people. Akira had been all up and down the cities and backwater towns this side of Fiore and she knew for a fact that this prissy little playboy had no idea what piss water actually looked like let alone tasted like. She turned her head and for a moment almost wished Cece had been there to hear his sentiment on this 'fine-establishment'. She had no doubts that the fiery chef would have no qualms about knocking heads with the rich kid, her boss had ovaries of steel.

With a huff she put a hand on her hip and turned to face the last teen. Her expression changed to one of rare professionalism(there was rarely anything professional about Akira) and her eyes raked across the customer.

Lucius Valentina Sr.- now that was a name that was renowned as being one of the richest men right up next to the Heartfilia family. Akira could spot the telltale trademark anywhere. It wasn't that hard to remember when those dark, striking green eyes were on every poster from here to Matza Valley.

Though this wasn't the man himself, Akira had no doubts that insulting his son- Lucius Valentina Jr, could result in a lot more than just a scolding from Cece. The entire cafe and all its surrounding property could be demolished. The Valentina's had a lot of ties to the economic trading markets with a few of the deals with the import and export committees across the borders. Akira slightly wrinkled her nose, that's why she hated these kinds of people. Their smug looks and their know-it-all smiles- she had no doubts of exactly what they were into.

Smuggling had just recently become a huge, uprising issue for small time importers and family run business owners. Their prices couldn't compete with many of the larger corporations. And just recently the pricing on regulating trade posts skyrocketed due to the extra need for security.

It would seem surprising to an outsider that they hadn't hired any wizard it mercenary guilds to take out the the smugglers guild doing these things. But Akira wasn't surprised in the slightest.

The thing about the corporations is that they wanted a monopoly- no, to them they needed a monopoly. It was a form of control and the greedy CEO's couldn't handle not having the direct flow of income. When Sora-sensei and herself had gone down south into the urban communities, a small town mayor had hired the pair to try and weed out a grouping of smugglers from their dying town. The job had been simple enough but they had discovered not only a lack of security to the shipments but something much darker. There had been seals of certain company logos stamped on the backs of the very weapons used by the smugglers.

The only reason why you wouldn't have better security would be if the companies were hiring the smugglers themselves. Insurance claims were a huge boost and black market prices were so much higher than the normal public market.

But going to the Magic Council hadn't been an option. They were most likely in on it just as much as the big corporations. Guilds and every other establishment was out for themselves. You could never trust a magic guild, all the citizens were left to fend for themselves. Akira's lip firmed and her eyes hardened on the pretty boy who just couldn't seem to make up his mind.

That's why she hated these people. Small time establishments and anyone else who wasn't protected by a bigger and even more corrupt company was thrown out into the snow. That's the way the world worked- that's what Akira had learned over the years. People like Sora-sensei or Sam and Cece or anyone else who was just trying to get by and do the right thing didn't have a chance to beat the system. She didn't understand a lot of it, like about taxes or political favors or what all that stuff meant. But she did know that guilds and corporations were unfair and stole from people.

"So are you going to order or what, sir?" Akira spoke flatly, adding the last bit as an afterthought as her foot tapped against the ground. She found the gaze of the teen and she shivered just slightly at the depth at which he met her own. She could now see why all these girls would swoon over him. He wasn't bad looking at all, his eyes seemed to captivate everything around him.

"I'll have a water with lemon wedge on the side." He spoke quietly, leaning back in his chair with a dazzling smile that made all the girls around him seem to swoon. Akira nodded curtly and turned to go before his voice spoke up again.

"Where is my little Mika-chan? She was supposed to be working today." He spoke with a smile, Akira turned at the question and cocked her head just slightly. She was surprised that they knew of Mika, she wasn't rich or famous or anything of the sort. Akira opened her mouth to answer but paused at the last moment. Maybe it was the change of tone, something almost unrecognizable in his words or the malice she could feel coming on like waves but Akira paused just slightly and bit her lip.

"She's working another shift." She lied, her eyes reflexively shifting to where she shade of the doorway where Mika was surely watching the exchange. Akira's voice slightly rose with her words and she couldn't help but twist her fingers into her apron.

A small series of murmurs went through the crowd of girls and many of them were filled with cross glares and furious whispers. Akira couldn't catch any of them but whatever they had to say wasn't good.

"You don't need that whore, Lucius!" One girl finally exclaimed, quickly dipping out of her chair to crowd even closer to the teen- though Akira wasn't exactly sure how she had managed to even wedge her body any closer. She herself tightened at the words and the twelve year old couldn't help but glare back. That was her co worker they were talking about. Murmurs of agreement went up and a few others nodded furiously, "I can be just as good- if not better than her!" Hands found their way on the rich teen's shoulders and the outspoken fan girl leaned down, "Just let me show you exactly how-"

There was a quiet gasp as the girl's hands were quickly and sharply slapped away. "I don't want you, you pathetic, good for nothing little farm girl." He spoke quietly, the air had shifted dramatically with his words. His easy going smirk had never left his face but his eyes had flashed into something darker. He turned back to Akira, "It is a shame that she is working a different shift," His eyes trailed off and they seemed to pierce into cafe. He ignored the girl crying to his right and waved her away with a flick of his wrist. "If you could, let Mika-chan known that she is definitely missed… I would very much appreciate it." He let his words hang in the air and his eyes flashed something indecipherable. It was gone after a moment and once again the teen sported a polite, if not slightly arrogant mask.

Akira took that as a dismissal and she made her way back to the cafe. She could feel the eyes of many whispering girls follow her back and she couldn't help but speed up her walking as she rushed past the doorway and into the the shaded area beyond the outdoor tables.

"I got the orders Mika." Akira spoke, waving the papers as she crossed her arms over her chest. "One of them was asking for you." She reiterated, nodding a head towards them. The twelve year old frowned at the older girl and put a hand on her hip. "Mika," Akira spoke again, snapping her fingers- "Mika!" She finally waved her hands in front and the waitress seemed to break away from her musing. Mika barely seemed to muster a smile that looked more akin to a grimace as her body almost seemed to shake just slightly.

"What did they order?" Mika asked, her lips thinning just slightly with the same subdued tone that made Akira's eyes narrowed. The entire exchange between the rich boys at the table and herself had been a bit odd but by Mika's reactions- there was a lot more she was missing.

"Just a couple of drinks," Akira spoke, looking down at the scrawl on the pad of paper. "A strawberry splash and a water, all with-"

"-lemons on the side."

"-lemons on the side."

Akira snapped her head up as they had unwittingly spoken in unison. She rose a brow but Mika didn't seem to notice as she curled a strand of hair idly around her finger. Shifting the pad of paper between her fingers, Akira ripped of the sheet and held it out.

"Here, you're gonna have to give this to Cece, there is no way I'm going back in there any sort of orders. If Cece finds that the floors aren't done and that I'm taking orders, she'll have my… you haven't heard a word I've said, have you." Akira blandly stated, Mika didn't even seem to be bothering to listen as her gaze rested on the tables outside the cafe.

* * *

"It really is a beautiful day today." Lucy beamed, walking along the side of the river.

"Puun- pun!" The small Nikora happily walked behind Lucy with a slight wobble to its step.

The sun was shining bright that day and while Lucy didn't mind the rain- she much preferred sunshine. And with all the rain they'd been having recently, she hadn't had a chance to go to the newer cafe that had been recently getting much more popular.

The new cafe had actually been an old music store that had barely gotten enough funds to make ends meet. But the owners were happy with it and it was supposedly a pretty neat shop. Not that Lucy ever got a chance to check it out, that chance had been shot down when a few of the more rowdy Fairy Tail members had decided that music night would be a good idea.

It wasn't.

So Lucy could only admire the rustic look of the building from the outside, eleven feet from the perimeter. Any closer and her Fairy Tail mark would glow in warning. It was sad when she was used to the feeling of having a trespassing spell on her guild mark. The music shop wasn't the only establishment that Fairy Tail mages were banned from.

But after an accident, the older couple who ran the shop had decided to retire to somewhere warm with a smaller amount of 'young, reckless kids'- everyone under thirty was a kid to them.

The new shop had been quickly bought up by an older gentleman named Sam Chancey and it was transformed into a totally new place. From the gossip she had snipped from a few locals, it had a hard time starting up until a new chef came in- a world renowned one at that! And that's what Lucy was really excited for at the Sweet Cream Cafe. She had heard that the desserts were to die for.

Lucy turned the corner and hopped onto the cobblestone sidewalk. The sights and sounds of the street made her smile. She had always liked the bustle of Magnolia, especially around lunch. There was always something interesting going on.

"Puun-puun!" Lucy smile at Plue's excited murmurings and she bent down to pick up the little spirit. Stepping off the corner, Lucy dodged carts and vendors until she finally came upon her intended destination.

 _'Wow, it's busy today.'_ Lucy mused quietly to herself. The tables outside were almost all completely filled with people- strangely enough all teenage girls but it didn't seem to faze the Fairy Tail mage much as she looked upon the new shop. Smells wafered from the open windows and Lucy's mouth watered.

Snagging a table in the far corner under a small recluse of shade, Lucy leaned back in her chair and looked down the street briefly. "I hope Erza gets here soon." Lucy spoke, clutching her companion to her chest, with a grin. "She's gonna love it, I just know it."

Erza had been stressed lately, that much was clear. Lucy previously had invited her to come shopping with her so they could have a girl's day out. At least that had been the plan until Cana and Lisanna had decided to implode the guild with strawberry cake. Hopefully a nice lunch at a cafe would get Erza's mind off whatever was bothering her.

 **Author's Note:** Updated 6/19/18


	6. A Couple of Charity Cases- Part One

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Six: Part One

A Couple of Charity Cases

"You've got to be kidding me," Akira huffed, running her fingers through her messy bangs for the second time in five minutes. She had thought that the fan girls were bad on their own- but this was a whole lot worse.

Akira peeked out the window and winced. There were news reporters, _news reporters_! She frowned at the loud snaps of the cameras and groaned as she spotted more teenage girls emerging from the streets like roaches.

 _'Maybe I should get the traps? They work just as well on rats.'_ Akira darkly wondered, sharply turning on her heel. _'I blame Mika.'_ Akira thought but didn't dare speak out loud. Her coworker was enough out of it already. In all honesty, even if she did say something, it would probably go right over Mika's head. And it wasn't like Akira really meant it anyways. It wasn't anyone's fault that rush hour was so busy today- it was more so that Akira really really wanted nothing to do with the people constantly coming in and out.

There was most definitely something wrong with her coworker, but the thirteen year old didn't have a clue nor the time to even begin to attempt to figure out what was going through the Mika's ditzy brain.

After Akira had gotten the orders from the 'rich pricks' as she decided to name them, Mika had been utterly spacey. She was constantly mixing up orders and generally avoiding going outside the cafe at all. The slight problem with that was most of the customers were seated outside! So of course it fell to Akira to fix up this mess. Someone had to feed the masses and the last thing either of them needed was Cece storming in from her 'inner sanctum' to berate the pair for not doing a good job.

Akira would never again take a waitress' job for granted again. Lunch hour, forget it- that was probably up there with one of the worst things in existence, right up next to nosy little 'do goodie' police officers.

Akira had been running inside and outside constantly for the past half hour. She had to sneak around Cece's line of sight to get the orders in. Then getting the filled orders out was a process in itself. More than once she had to duck to the floor to avoid the fiery chef's flurry of skilled motion. The chef had turned her head so many times in Akira's direction that it seemed almost of a miracle that she hadn't been spotted.

And after the very real threat that her boss had laid out that morning… Akira shuddered, she didn't even want to begin to think what would happen if she was caught near the stoves twice in one day. Though she protested the argument that she couldn't cook. She could totally cook! Akira resented that sentiment. Just because everything didn't turn out exactly perfect didn't mean she couldn't work a stove! And besides! She liked her scones a little crispy anyways!

But she did have to admire Cece's skill. The red head's talent with a knife and a skillet was impressive. Akira wouldn't have minded staying to watch her boss cook if it wasn't for the wariness of her current situation hanging over her.

The floor was effectively ruined by now. Because of the delay, she hadn't had time to finish the polishing and put the protective coat over it. With rush hour, the polish was mostly scuffed away and gone. It was clear that Akira was going to have to stay pretty late tonight to finish it.

Giving Mika one last hard glance, Akira pushed open the cafe door with the heel of her foot and hurried her way to an elderly couple sitting in the shade at a table. They were kind and serving them was a bit of a relief compared to other tables that were filled with nothing but squealing fan girls that wanted their gluten, sugar, dairy and carb free meals- ones that the cafe didn't even serve.

Akira set down the two cups of coffee and pulled two coffee stirs out from her apron. The elderly lady gave her a kind smile and patted her hand.

"Thank you, dear." The lady spoke, her mousy voice shaking just slightly as she lifted the cup to her mouth. "It's a shame to see such a pretty, young face working so hard. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I'm on summer break." Akira lied, clasping her hands together in a complacent manner. The words came easily from her mouth, it was so practiced that she could say her story frontward and backwards without even a stutter or pause. "-school should start back up next month so I'm trying to get ahead."

She'd been getting that question since the moment she had started working here. Why were the people of Magnolia so nosy! She hadn't gotten this many questions since the last time she'd run into the Rune Knights. Akira supposed it might've been the outfit. She'd gotten more questions while wearing an apron than when she was wearing her comfortable, nondescript pants and jacket.

"But you're young!" The elderly man spoke, leaning far back in his chair as he brought a rustic looking pipe up to his lips. It smelled of hickory and licorice. "Shouldn't you be out with your friends? You have all your adult life to work! You know, you young people are so hurried. When you get to be my age, it'll be the fun times you'll want to remember!"

Akira smiled lightly at the man's cheerful ramblings despite the twinge of guilt inside of her. She really didn't want to lie to these kind people, but it wasn't like she didn't lie to everyone else anyways. The pre-teen straightened out her apron, "Would you like your check?" Akira asked, ignoring his rambling, "Or are there any sort of desserts you two would like this afternoon? We have a very good selection if you would like me to get you a menu."

The man's eyes twinkled in an almost knowing manner but he didn't comment on her abrupt change in the subject. "I think that we're all set. Maybe one of those delicious snickerdoodles we keep smelling. Are they fresh? Because that would be wonderful-"

"Uh excuse me?! I've been like waiting here for like ever!" A whiny voice interrupted the gentleman's words and both Akira and the couple turned to look at the other. The elderly man's lip firmed in disapproval and he took a long puff from his pipe.

Sitting at a table was about six girls with skirts as short as their IQ level. Akira had no doubt that they were another group of girls the rich pricks had attracted.

Barely containing herself from rolling her eyes, Akira gave an apologetic look to the couple. "I'll bring your order right out, sir." She spoke, her eyes flashing with a hard glare of annoyance at the loud mouthed brunette before forcing her features into something more customer friendly.

Her eyes glanced over the rest of the tables for a brief moment and her brows rose when she spotted a new table being taken up. A flash of brilliant golden hair caught her attention. Akira nodded her head at the far table, "I'll be right with you," She spoke, loudly enough to be heard by the new customer before turning back on her heel.

"Now, what can you get to you today," Akira's voice went flat with a bored indifference. She had no desire to serve anyone in general, let alone these girls who were ten times more obnoxious than the average annoying customer. But that was the job and this was rush hour. She'd just have to deal with it.

 _'I am so taking all of Mika's tips for the week,'_ Akira vowed, her eyes glazing over. She paid no mind to the customer chewing her out as orders went in and out through each ear. She could see Mika shadowing the stained glass window and had no doubts her coworker was once again staring at the same table she had been for the past forty minutes.

* * *

Lucy was surprised, it seemed that not even a moment that she had sat down, groups of people were swarming in and out of the cafe. The street was filled with the bustle of the city and she could see many different kinds of people popping in and out of the cafe for a cup of coffee or some other dessert that she herself was dying to try.

The blonde dropped her head into her hand and lazily watched the different tables of people. Plue had disappeared back through his gate a little while ago. His key was still warm to the touch and the celestial mage idly thumbed the handle before settling it back on her key ring.

Lucky for her, she had snagged a table. It was apparent that they were hard to find around here. She hadn seen height nor hair of a single staff member. But there must've been a few around, considering the amount of people there were. Not that it mattered that much, Lucy didn't particularly mind the wait. It was nice to just bask in the sun with the familiar sounds of people around her. And it wasn't like she really wanted to place an order before Erza came.

She idly watched in interest as a group of local reporters came and went. Lucy had first ducked under the table when she had caught sight of Jason shouting his well known catchphrase up and down the street. She had breathed a small sigh of relief when it became clear that he wasn't here for any Fairy Tail mages but rather another group. She couldn't see the people of interest behind the different groups of reporters and other crowds that were starting to form.

Lucy didn't much care though, she was just glad that she could still enjoy a quiet lunch with Erza. Hopefully the reporters would be done and gone by the time the other showed up. Knowing Jason, he'd want another interview with 'Titania of Fairy Tail'.

The light ringing of the bell on the top of the cafe door filled the air. Lucy reflexively turned her head at the sound. A young girl came rushing through the door. With a tray balanced on her palm and a hand full of creamers, she came over- close to Lucy's table, to give an elderly couple their coffee's.

Lucy stretched lightly in her chair and watched the exchange. The couple seemed kind and their questions made Lucy take a closer look at the girl's face. They were right, the waitress did look awfully young… And awfully familiar at that… Maybe she had seen the other around Magnolia? The city square wasn't big enough to where it was impossible to run into someone multiple times when you lived here. And the cafe was pretty close to her own address, she probably had seen the other along the sidewalks or the streets.

A sharp voice broke her train of thought and she turned her head to look at the group of teenage girls that were staring at the obviously overworked waitress like she was the scum of the earth. Lucy's brow rose ever so slightly and she frowned at the rude words coming out of her mouth. The brunette waitress didn't even seem to register the backhanded insults and idly wrote down their orders.

Lucy shook her head, it was unbelievable that people could be so unkind for no good reason- especially to someone who was obviously a bit younger.

The celestial mage crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in a chair. Her gaze slid back over to the group of girls and her lip firmed, she'd make sure to tip double what she normally would. Lucy tipped her head back and looked down the street. Her belt slightly jingled from the movement but she didn't notice the light that glowed out from her keys.

* * *

"-okay I'll be right out with that." Akira spoke, writing the final order from table number six. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Akira quickly made her way around the tables and back towards the cafe. She passed customers and mindlessly grabbed empty plates. The preteen couldn't help but notice the airy laugh of her least favorite customer. Shifting her head, the preteen stared at table number four and her lip curled in disdain.

 _'Why won't they just leave?'_ She thought, balancing a tray on her hip. These rich pricks had been here for over two hours. They hadn't ordered anything other than a refill or two of their drinks. Everytime she went over, Mr. Lucius Valentina Jr. couldn't help but inquire about Mika.

She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the entire situation. Not only did she severely dislike the flash of the cameras, but the way he spoke to her made her feel disgusted. It was like she wasn't even human. What scared her the most was the look in his eyes he would get when he spoke about 'Mika-chan'. Akira was starting to realize why Mika wasn't coming out of the cafe. He was a total creep.

Whatever this guy wanted, Akira had a sinking feeling that it wasn't anything good. She just hated being caught in the middle of it. Not only that, but she wasn't much sure if she could take the rude words of the multitude of girls. In the span of two hours, Akira had asked two tables to quiet down and order or they would have to leave the premise. Not only were they wasting the cafe's time by not buying anything but they were also driving other loyal customers away. Apparently she wasn't the only one that found the high pitched squeals obnoxious.

Akira walked through the remains of the kitchen door, sighing as a few splinters stuck into the sides of her leather sandals… She still hadn't fixed that door yet. "Still hiding in here?" Akira asked, quietly dumping the remaining dishes she had in her hand into the sink. Mika said nothing as she grabbed the dishes and began to scrub them under the hot faucet of water.

Usually it was Akira's job to wash the dishes and bus tables. It was nice to see that Mika had taken the initiative to at least make sure it looked like Akira had done her job today. It was apparent though that half the reason Mika was actually doing Akira's work was so the older teen could hide in the back of the kitchen. The worst part was, Akira didn't even know why. She had asked multiple times, pushed Mika to explain but the elder clamped up. Her entire demeanor and attitude as a whole was so unnatural and unlike her normal peppy personality that it put Akira on edge.

The closest she had gotten was when she threatened to just walk off and let the group of boys know she was in here. Those words had brought up a bout of panic from the other. Akira had sputtered at the pleading words and the desperate tone. She was still a tiny bit guilty for causing that kind of emotion in the other.

Honestly, it shouldn't even matter to her. In a week or two she would be gone, moving out to another city once she got a little bit of money and the information she needed. So why should anyone else's problem's matter to her? This entire place had been nothing but a problem. But it did matter to her for some innate reason she couldn't fathom. Akira wanted to know- and that's what was the most frustrating thing about the whole thing. She didn't care, yet the same questions nagged at her.

"They're not leaving Mika." Akira spoke, leaning her body against the sink, letting her thoughts move to the back of her mind. She grabbed another dish and scrapped it off into the trash can. "All those boys do is just sit there and ask about you." This time, Akira could see trembling in the other's hands.

"These trays are for tables five, two and eleven." Mika spoke, roughly grabbing the food trays situated on the island behind her. Akira braced and the platters were promptly pushed onto her.

The younger girl scowled, "I'm trying to help you Mika." Akira pushed, her eyes narrowing. Her frustration at her current day was bubbling just under the surface of her skin. "You've done nothing but hide back here from whatever your problems are. The least you could do would be to at least explain why!" The girl let out hot breath of air and jutted her chin out in defiance. Right now she just wanted her coworker back to her perky, annoying self. Akira grit her teeth at Mika's prolonged silence. "Fine, fine! Stay back here for all I care!" She spat, stomping out of the kitchen doors.

 _'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! They're all stupid!'_ Akira thought, her eyes flashing back to the kitchen behind her. Her eyes shut for a moment and the events of the weeks kept coming round and round. _'Screw Magnolia!_ _Next paycheck and I'm out of here.'_

Shaking her head, she slipped behind the counter to grab two snickerdoodle cookies before slipping back out.

Striding out the door, Akira lifted her eyes to the afternoon sunlight that was settling down on her line of sight. The sun had moved from its high position in the sky to a lower position. That was a tell tale sign of lunch hour coming an end. She took a small breath and let the sun warm the pale skin of her cheek. But as was her luck, it seemed that there were more people than ever. Many of them were gazing at table four with a look of admiration or envy. Much of the food was untouched or going cold.

Akira briskly walked around the tables and delivered her trays of food first. She acknowledged the thank you's with a nod and frowned at the increasing amount of squeals coming from the fan girls. Already she could feel her ire rising to something that was slowly becoming toxic. But she swallowed her feelings and let it settle. Dealing with this a little longer was better than dealing with an angry Cece.

Akira made her way over to the elderly couple and her eyes brightened just slightly as she set down a small plate with an extra amount of cookies. She watched as the couple's faces lit up as they each grabbed one.

"Thank you dear," The elderly woman spoke, patting her hand. "These smell wonderful."

The girl nodded her head and grabbed the luke warm pot that she had set on the table earlier. "Let me get you a refill, I just started a new brew a few minutes ago. It should be finished by-"

Akira hadn't even a chance to finish her statement before everything went wrong. It seemed that in the small span of time, she hadn't noticed a group of giggling girls had squeezed in the small space behind her in attempts to try and scootch a little closer to the boys. She didn't even get a chance to hesitate before running right into the girl behind her.

"Oh my stars!" The screech seemed to vibrate through her and Akira screwed her eyes shut as the sound rung in her ears. "You like totally ruined my shoes!" The teen in front of her squealed, taking a step back from the chaos created in front of her eyes.

Chairs scraped against the cobblestones area and heads peeked up over the tables to get a glance at the loud disturbance.

Akira closed her eyes for a brief moment as the shock set in. Beautiful porcelain glass covered the ground in a heap of shattered pieces and rough gravel. Lukewarm liquid seeped into her white apron and down her legs, slowly dripping down to pool in small puddles around her feet. Her sandals chinked against the fragments. _'Cece is going to murder me.'_ Akira thought, her mind catching up with the events in a horrible realization.

How was she supposed to explain this?! She couldn't pay for it, the tea set was expensive. It was some sort of original antique that her boss had gotten from her trips abroad. With one wrong step, her entire savings were gone. She'd have to work another two months to earn back everything she had just lost.

Akira could feel numerous pairs of eyes rest on her. Heat came to her face and she suddenly felt very small underneath the taller girl's ire. Her eyes swept across the expensive shoes and even more expensive purse. She ignored the berating words for a moment and her eyes narrowed at the screeching. There was another click of a camera and maybe it was the stress of the day or something else entirely but Akira couldn't help but open her mouth this time.

"-you're totally paying for this! I can't believe it! This is the worst customer service like ever! Do you have any idea-"

"Do you have any idea how much that cost!" Akira interrupted, her temper high as she pointed down at the porcelain set with a gesture of her hand.

"Um, excuse me?" The teen huffed, settling her hands on her hip in a practice manner that could only scream diva. "You're the one the bumped into me." The brunette gestured to herself with a set of manicured hands. Akira couldn't help but snort at the dramatics. She honestly couldn't care less.

"And you should've been in your seat instead of galavanting around, trying to stalk people." Akira lightly spoke, her tone holding an edge to it as she pointed down to her own soaking sandals, "You're not the only one whose shoes were ruined." Akira's eyes flashed from her soaking apron to the customer. "If you could please sit down and shut up, I'm sure everyone would benefit."

The teen popped her hip and gave Akira an appalled huff. "We are paying customers." She gave a look before settling back, "Listen sweetheart," Lifting her chin in the air, the customer stepped forward and straightened her shoulders, Akira could just feel the entitled air around her. "You see that table over there?" She spoke, her voice bouncing up and down in a slow, mocking tone. Akira slowly turned her head and caught another glance at the flashing cameras. "That's the Lucius Valentina, Mr. Dreamy and my soon to be boyfriend." Her tone dropped and she gave a growl, "Well he was going to be my boyfriend until you just totally ruined it!" Her voice reached incredible levels and Akira couldn't help but wince again at the volume.

There was a hush of whispers behind her and her shoulders tensed at being the center of attention. "I mean, I suppose I can see how you couldn't possibly understand." The brunette spoke again with a faux pause, her voice dripping with unnecessary sympathy. "I mean, just look at you." Akira couldn't help but glance down at her soiled clothing. "I could try and explain what it's like actually having a life but I suppose that's the burden I have to bear. I can only explain it to you, I can't understand it for you."

Akira's face soured at the tone and her eyes slid over the group of giggling girls. The rich blonde next to her friend puffed out her cheeks and her eyes blinked with a mix of pitying admiration, "The bleeding heart your employer has must be astounding." She gasped, putting a hand on her heart, "I really do admire people that are able to handle the charity cases so well. But! Even though we're gorgeous and beautiful people and you're... well, a waitress, we are both still connected by one thing, money." The other girls seemed to nod in agreement, "And I'm sure your manager wants money and we want drinks. So the only person leaving will be you to go get the drink and we ordered."

Akira's ears burned red hot and her cheeks flushed. She was being chewed out by these snobby rich girls who didn't know the first thing about anything. Akira hated her tone, it was like nails against a chalkboard and it made her blood boil.

The brunette smirked and dismissed Akira with a wave of her hand, "And make it snappy would you?" She added with a dazzling smile, "It's going to take a lot more than a few drink to pay for my shoes that you ruined."

"But don't worry," Another one added with a titter, "I'm sure we'll be plenty thirsty, stalking is hard work afterall."

Akira stood there for a moment, her eyes blazing and her fists shaking. But with a shuddering breath, she finally turned and stormed off. _'It's not worth it.'_ Akira told herself, her knuckles white and her teeth clenched. _'You're trying to keep a low profile here. A customer is just a customer.'_ As much as she tried to convince herself that the highroad was the best route to go, Akira couldn't convince herself that this didn't feel like she running away.

Her ears burned a bright red as she stormed into the restaurant doors. She could hear the girls laughing behind her. With head held high, Akira slammed a glass under the beverage dispenser and flipped it on with much more force than necessary. Crackles of energy were burning under her skin that it almost looked like she was actually steaming. Akira, at this point, wouldn't be surprised if she actually was.

Slowly curling her fingers out from her palm, Akira tried to calm herself down. It had been a long time since someone had really gotten under her skin like that. Usually she had a longer fuse when it came to civilians but there was something about the others' words that made her heart burn with anger.

"Charity case, huh?" Akira hissed quietly to herself, setting a few filled glasses on the counter. "They haven't worked a day in their lives." She scoffed, "And they think that they can just walk around and talk to people like they're..." Akira trailed off with a sigh, that's exactly what they thought they could do. That's exactly what they did! And no one could do anything about it, least of all her."

"Akira... Are you okay?"

Akira leaped from the sudden voice and turned around. She hadn't even heard Mika come in. "You came out of the kitchen?" Akira's frowned, ignoring the question. Mika sheepishly looked down at her feet and to her surprise, embraced Akira in a hug.

"Mika!" Akira pulled back in shock, "What's gotten into you! You know how I feel about the hugging-"

"I'm sorry." Mika spoke, her soft voice echoed off the wooden walls of the back room. There was a bit of silence between them as the only thing that could be heard was the running water and the muffled conversations from the dining area.

Akira took a small breath and pulled back, "Don't worry about it." The girl sighed and with a slight grimace, pulled lightly at her drenched apron, "It'll dry." Running her fingers through her hair, Akira looked at the older teen. "Are you okay? I'm surprised you actually came out of the kitchen?"

Mika again said nothing on the subject. But Akira took note on the way her body tensed and the way her gaze went zinging back towards the windows once again. Turning her back, Mika turned back towards the kitchen until a hand reached out and grasped her wrist.

"Sheesh! I get it." Akira grumbled, pulling Mika back, "Don't talk about those pretty boys who have a thing for you." Akira dipped her head back and leaned against the doorway. "I don't know how you do it day in and day out." She spoke, "This place is full of snobby jerks. You heard what happened out there right?" Akira murmured with a sigh, taking Mika's non answer as a sign to continue. "Is that how you always feel?" She shook her head with a snort and untied the soiled apron from behind her back. "Customers staring you down like you're nothing more than a means to get what they want- here could you take this?" "Akira blindly held her left hand out for Mika to take the apron as she bent down to take off her sandals. They were soaked with coffee. "I mean, I'm surprised that they didn't dump the coffee on me themselves. I've never seen anyone get so mad over a pair of shoes." Akira's eyes narrowed as she struggled to undo the sandal straps with one hand. She waved the apron in her left hand to signal Mika to take it. "Your job does kinda suck, why do you willingly work for Cece anyways? Don't you go to school for something, photography right? Your pictures can't suck that bad where you have to work here- you know Mika," Akira rolled her eyes and looked up with a frown, "Could you just take the apron? My arm is getting tired…"

Akira paused as she actually began to pay attention to what Mika was doing. The teen wasn't even listening, her head was staring in a far off place and her hands were clenched in her lap. She looked so upset, Akira let the apron drop to the floor and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, your job isn't that bad." She lamented with a quick grin, "I mean, I say stuff before I think. I didn't mean to hit a nerve," Akira ran a hand through her hair, "I'm sure your pictures are uh…"

The last time Akira had seen Mika's photography, she about fainted. It seemed that Mika worked in a whole different field of photography that Akira had never even wanted to know about. She suppose it was 'artistic interpretation' that allowed people to be able to take pictures of people and things and have not considered anything other than something to either use a blackmail or kindling. The only thing she has ever learned from that 'fruit' album was that she'd never look at a peach the same way again.

"...Well! I'm sure you would get a great job working for a fashion magazine. Don't they do all the lingerie photo shoots? I mean uh, well I'm working here willingly and I don't have terrible photography so that's a - no wait, that's not what I meant." She could see a set of tears dripping and Akira's eyes went wide, "What I meant was that uh-"

"It's not you Akira," Mika's warbled voice stopped the girl in her tracks. She chuckled at Akira's panicked expression and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Really, I promise that it has nothing to do with my 'terrible' photography as you put it." Akira blushed at the rephrasing of her words.

Stepping over the soiled apron that was pooled at her feet, Akira sat down on the heater next to her co worker. "Seriously Mika," Akira spoke, taking a small breath. "I know it's none of my business or whatever but like, what's going on with you? First you hide back here the moment you see a few people and then you can't even pay attention long enough to fill out a few orders before you get this look on your face."

Mika closed her eyes, "It's just…" She paused before taking a shaking breath, "Just…"

"Just what?" Akira spoke, her attention solely on her coworker. The anticipation was killing her.

"Do you remember a few months ago, a few weeks after a started here. A group of guys started coming around." Mika spoke, her words coming quiet and fast.

"You'll have to remind me." Akira deadpanned, "I didn't work here a few months ago. So my memory is a little fuzzy. But I'm assuming it's Valentina and his crew."

"Oh right. I forgot you haven't been working here that long." Mika gave a small giggle and ran a hand through Akira's hair, which was responded immediately with a glare. "Well they started coming around and Lucius… Well he took a liking to me! He was sweet and kind and he always-"

Akira rolled her eyes at the list as Mika went on and on. "Well something changed right?" Akira interrupted, "If everything was so great then you wouldn't be hiding back here."

"Things did change..." Mika bit her lip and looked down at her lap. "It didn't really start as that much if a problem. It was a few.. touches here and there or maybe a couple of things he said that didn't feel right."

Akira's blood went cold and she took a sharp breath. There were stories, stories that travel the streets in the seedier parts of town if you have ears and eyes in the right place. Akira had heard stories of the Valentina's. And rumors were rumors of course, of flashing white smiles and pretty girls who had just seemed be swept up in their charm before disappearing with a sound or a sight.

And Akira had always taken them for granted. Almost anything and everything could be drummed up against an old rich family with an aloof past, especially if there was anyway to get money from it.

"-and of course I hadn't been sure what to do." Mika continued, ringing her hands together. "He's handsome and has money and made me feel like…" She paused there and sighed, "He paid for my schooling you know." She softly spoke, "I know you wouldn't believe it by looking at me," A sad smile crossed her lips and Akira could really see the age behind the red lip gloss. "I'm not from the city. I come from a run down town with more dirt roads than stone."

"You're kidding." Akira's eyebrows hit her hairline. "The big city waitress who goes out clubbing in fancy dresses is a farm girl?"

Mika gave a soft sigh turned her head to the side. "When I turned fifteen, my mother was sick… really _really_ sick. And by that time my father was gone and she and my gran were all I had left in the world." Something low churned in Akira's gut and she felt the familiar feeling of loss bubble up. She pushed it back, pushed everything she felt back. The story was too familiar, hitting too close to home. "And the bank, well when does the bank ever care?" Mika bitterly murmured, "I couldn't work it by myself and the farm was going to go up for sale…"

"So what did you do?" Akira asked, looking intently at her.

"I sold it." Mika spoke, her voice going low with resolve. "Sold everything except the house. There was an older gentleman who was willing to give me more than the bank ever would. I used the money I had to pay off the house and at least get a small fund going for her medicine."

"So why did you move to the city? What's his have to do with the Valentina's?" Akira asked, her gut churning with suspicion. She was afraid of where this story was going.

"Well no one would hire me." Mika leaned back against the window, crossing her arms with an indignant huff. "I'm a girl, I was either too skinny, too short or too much of a 'distraction' to the other farm hands. So I had no choice but to go to the only other place that I knew I could find work."

"Magnolia." Akira nodded her head. "But what about the clubbing? The fancy dresses and all the other stuff?"

Mika shrugged, "Well I didn't at first. But after I got pushed from job to job to job, I found that they didn't want the hard working farm girl. They wanted the classy, city girl who was full of big dreams. So I started to buy the right clothes, wear the right shoes," She lifted a foot and wiggled her toes out of her heels, "I've always hated these," Mika gave a laugh, "I've tripped more times than I can count in these."

"No wonder you're such a clutz." Akira murmured under her breath before addressing the other at full volume. "Okay I get you moved to the city and what not but what about your photography thing? That doesn't make any sense."

"The photography thing was my mom's idea." Mika spoke, with a small smile. "She didn't like that I wasn't 'fulfilling my potential'. She always wanted me to go to school and my gran fully approved it." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"We needed the money from me working and it wasn't like I had anything to put towards schooling. But I was afraid of disappointing them, so I took out a loan and enrolled in a photography class. And of course I didn't know much so I went for fashion photography, figuring I could get a good job right here without having to move." Mika smirked at the way Akira went very still at the mention of her pictures. "Akira, I don't take pictures like that all the time, that profollio is just for one class I'm taking this year. And it isn't my fault that you went looking through my stuff-"

"Okay so everything seemed to be going well." Akira spoke, ignoring Mika's humorous undertone as she tried to make herself look nonchalant. She really did hate Mika's photography. "So where did Valentina come in?"

Mika's tone darkened and her eyes gazed out the window. Akira at once could see how tired she looked in the sunlight. "Three months after I had gotten settled was when I met _him_ …"

 **Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait! I was actually writing this chapter and I realized it was way too long so I broke it up into three parts.


	7. A Couple of Charity Cases- Part Two

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Six: Part Two

The sun was lowering in the sky and Lucy leaned back in her chair. It would've been a beautiful view if it weren't for the cameras. The blonde's brows furrowed as she turned her head towards the table across the terrace. It had been almost a half hour and it only seemed to be getting more and more flashy and dramatic. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as more people tried to get a glance.

 _'You'd think by now that the citizens of Magnolia would be used to random camera shoots.'_ Lucy sighed and scooted a bit closer to her table as another group of girls squeezed past her chair to try and get closer to the "action". In Lucy's opinion, it was a bit ridiculous. It reminded her of the time when she had first been brought to Fairy Tail. She idly wondered if it was another 'Salamander' with a magic ring.

"Well this place sure seems to be crowded. I'm not too late am I?" A distinct voice interrupted her train of thought and Lucy turned.

"Erza!" Lucy beamed and gestured for her to sit down, "You're not late at all, I haven't actually ordered yet. It is a bit more busy than usual."

"I can see." Erza spoke, raising a brow as her eyes followed the cameras and the small crowd that was starting to form around the other table. "What poor mage is under Jason's scrutiny now?" Erza asked, sitting down in the chair across from Lucy's.

Lucy pursed her lips, "I'm not sure actually," She spoke, resting her hands on the table. "But whoever they are, they must be from out of town. I mean, Fairy Tail is Magnolia's biggest and most popular guild. I can't think of anyone from our guild that would-"

"Trust me, it's no one from our guild." Erza finalized with a wave of her hand. Lucy blinked and her face contorted with a perplexed look.

"How do you know that?"

"Everyone from our guild is cleaning right now." Erza spoke, her tone carrying an edge to it. "Cana and Lisanna needed help with their mess, so I got a few volunteers to help them clean." Erza's eyes sparkled, "Helping a comrade in need is a wonderful way to build long lasting bonds. Even through small things like helping clean the guild. It can foster-" Lucy's eyes went wide and she couldn't help but feel for her poor guild mates. She was suddenly very thankful that she had hightailed away from the scene immediately after Erza and Cana started going at it. No doubts it wasn't just Cana and Lisanna that were scrubbing away under the fear of Erza's idea of 'comradery'.

A distinct bell from the cafe filled the air. The waitress strided out of the doors and came right towards them. She stopped once again at the elderly couple's table and Lucy herself couldn't help but smile lightly to herself at the exchange.

Lucy turned her attention back to Erza, "I don't know if you know, but I heard that the-"

A loud crash and a loud, continuous shriek interrupted her. Whipping her head around, Lucy's hand automatically went back to her keys. Her mouth dropped slightly at the sight before her. A customer was screaming, it seemed that something had happened and the waitress had accidently dropped her tray.

"You got coffee all over my shoes! How could you?! I just got these shoes yesterday! I special ordered them and you totally-"

As the loud mouthed customer turned, Lucy recognized it as the same one as before who had been extremely rude. A frown was etched on her face and she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the amount of noise the older girl was making. It was obviously an accident and it was clear that it was the waitress that had gotten the raw end of the deal.

Lucy's eyes softened when she assessed the mess. While the customer had gotten coffee on her feet, it seemed that the waitress herself had been covered in it. Lucy could see the liquid dripping from her arms and down her legs. The girl didn't even seem to move and instead just stood in almost a daze. Her eyes were closed in almost a weary resignation before they snapped open.

Lucy's eyes widened at the sharp tone. She caught a glance of the table next to her, it seemed that everyone around them was watching. She stifled a choke of surprise at the venom that was lashed between the two. Lucy shook her head in slight disbelief as the waitress stormed off. She couldn't catch all the words but clearly they were not very nice.

"Can you believe it Erza?" Lucy muttered, "Getting so worked up over a pair of shoes. Obviously she has enough money to buy another pair." She gave a small frown and crossed her arms, "I feel more bad for the waitress, they've been nothing but…" Lucy trailed off as she caught sight of Erza. The woman had turned in her chair to catch sight of the altercation.

Erza still hadn't turned back around, her back was ramrod straight and her hands were tightly gripping the back of the chair. Lucy felt slight uncomfortable as Erza's laser like stare seemed to burn into the door where she had disappeared into.

"Erza?" Lucy started slightly, "Erza, are you alright?" The blonde asked, reaching across the table to brush a hand against her arm.

"Hmm?" Erza seemed to come out of her daze and she turned sharply back to face Lucy. "Sorry, I thought I recognized someone." She spoke tersely, her tone odd. Lucy was baffled by the sudden change in mood. She wasn't sure what had happened.

"You sure you're okay?" Lucy asked, "We can eat somewhere else if you want."

"No, it's okay." Erza spoke with a slight smile. "Really, it's not a big deal."

The celestial mage didn't say anything for a moment. "Well, if you're sure." She spoke, her voice carefully neutral. Erza's muscles seemed taut with energy and Lucy was very sure that the furthest thing on Erza's mind was desserts

* * *

"Blackmail?" Akira quietly spoke, watching Mika go very still at the sound of the words spoken out loud once again. "What exactly could he possible have on you?"

"You don't understand Akira." Mika let out a quiet breath, "It's about their company, my mother's land is settled over-"

"But what the land is settled over, they can never have!" Akira hissed, her face twisting in malice. Her body had grown increasingly tense and her ear tips were burning a bright red. She knew the Valentina's and who they truly were. She had seen towns and villages destroyed by their definition of progress. "If they ever got their hands on that they'd-"

"Well of course I know that!" Mika flatlined, hugging herself close. "Don't you think I of all people understand that now?! From trying to threaten me with student loans, having the bank come forward to take away the house, trying to marry me!" Mika shuddered at the last one and looked up at Akira's furrowed expression. "The rules in Magnolia are different." She started to explain, leaning back against the wooden window frame. "Because the property is an inheritance and both my mom and my gran are unable to work for various reasons- that makes me the landholder as the one with the most amount of income."

"So?" Akira asked, frowning, "The house is still paid off and stuff so it's not like you can't keep it up with the income you have. And didn't you say that you got financial aid from the Magnolia Academic Association?"

"Well yes, but if I married someone who had a better income and better backing, it could be viable for them to take hold of my shares, income and property." Mika darkened at the last one and her eyes changed to a dull gray. "Of course it wasn't too long after I started getting involved with Lucius that I realized that's what he wanted." She shook her head, almost disgusted with herself at the thought. "But it was already too late by then."

"What do you mean, too late?" Akira frowned, "It's not like you actually married the guy!"

"No, but I had told Lucius that the land surrounding my house was owned my someone else. It's only a matter of time before they get that deed and then they'll just take me to court and not only will they get the land- and they will! Believe me, they have the best and the most crooked lawyers in Fiore. They'll completely destitute my family to poverty. So even if they can't legally find a law, the legal payments alone…" Mika trailed off, her voice died down and the words echoed across the quiet room. "Only mages can get exempt from land laws and other things like that. But for us normal citizens..."

"The legal payments alone would cause you to go bankrupt and then the house could automatically be considered up for legal property grabs." Akira finished, her hollow voice echoing. She knew enough of how it worked. The legal system was never fair. If you had money you got places. That was that.

"Already I'm struggling to pay for my mom's medical bills and keep the electricity on. I can barely afford to keep myself in an apartment, let alone pay for a lawyer." Mika sighed and tipped her head back against the window pane, "I'm sure you get what it's like, trying to keep rent."

Akira carefully nodded, "I have a pretty fair landlord but I don't get much control over the temperature." She made sure to keep a neutral expression on her face as Mika hummed in understanding. Akira knew that everyone at the cafe got the general concept that there wasn't exactly anyone 'back at home' that was dying of worry about her. The preteen was just glad that she hadn't been pushed on the subject by anyone other than Cece. In which case the only thing the chef wanted to do was get a rise out of her. Akira generally assumed that Cece didn't actually want any real information on her which was all the better. She just hoped the older teen wouldn't ask who her landlord was because 'Mother Nature' on "Alleyway street" probably wouldn't cut it. Akira made a mental note to try and come up with a better background story if anyone went sniffing around.

"I mean I've been reading law books in my spare time in the case I would have to represent myself." Mika shrugged miserably, "But I could never go up against Valentina." She took a shaky breath and trailed off, "I think it might just be better to go out there and sign it."

Akira caught the end of her sentence and her ears sharpened, "Sign what?" Her voice went low and a sinking feeling brewed in her gut. Her eyes locked with Mika and already she could see the defeat that was coloring them.

* * *

 _'I'm_ _seeing_ _things now.'_ Erza affirmed, her eyes trailing back to the remnants of the shattered coffee pot. The coffee was mostly soaked into the ground by now and she hadn't caught a glimpse of a head of brown hair inside the cafe. Erza just couldn't believe it. When she had turned, the last thing she had expected was a familiar voice that was just as sassy and closed off as she remembered.

The sound had shocked Erza enough to make her go still. Everything in her told her that it was that girl. But that would've been crazy, a coincidence like that would be unprecedented.

 _'It can't be. I think Mira was right, I_ _need to go on a mission and clear my head.'_ Ezra decided with a firm shake of her head.

Ezra looked down at her hands, her bare hands for once. She had decided to forego the armour for the afternoon in an attempt to blend in. She didn't want to be 'Titania of Fairy Tail' with the 'Celestial Maiden' of Fairy Tail. She wanted to be Erza Scarlet, having a late lunch with her good friend Lucy.

Giving a wave to Lucy's concerned expression she gave a semblance of a smile. "Really, it's not a big deal." She needed to forget about it.

Picking up her menu, Erza's eyes scanned over the choices. Her eyes fell over the table and she stared at Lucy as the younger woman brightly chatted about the past two weeks when Ezra had been away.

Her gaze followed her friend's animated actions as she half heartedly followed along with her story of shopping at the market. The blonde was so vibrant and her kindness radiated from her entire being. It was no wonder that her spirits loved her so much.

"-fell out of the tree right on top of him! I never did catch her name though, which was a shame." Lucy sighed and her cheek rested in the palm of her hand. "Now that I think about it. It was a strange sight, she was completely covered in dirt- but she did have the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen- Oh!" Lucy paused, pointing down at her menu excitingly, "Maybe I should get the strawberry lemonade? I heard that they make it special here."

 _'Wait a second-'_ Erza's mind caught up with the end of Lucy's story and her posture straightened. "Lucy," Erza spoke, startling the woman with her serious tone. "You said a young girl; blue eyes, brown hair and… a sore shoulder-" Erza ventured tentatively, her brows knitting together, "-stopped you from getting robbed blind?"

 _'Just a few days after Akira arrived in Magnolia.'_ Erza thought but didn't say. How many preteens go around picking fights with adults about twice their size? That number was small and almost all that she could think of were right in her own guild!

Lucy's face fell sheepishly at Erza's words. "I know, I know!" She wailed, her face falling into her hands as her cheeks burned red. "I shouldn't have left my keys with my bag. It was stupid to leave everything in one easy thing to steal- I already heard all of it from Aquarius." Lucy screwed her eyes shut with a shudder before turning back to Erza with an imploring pout, "Have I told you what a total bitch she can-"

"No. Not that." Erza cut off the blonde, "The girl, tell me about the girl."

Lucy's gave wrinkled in confusion at Erza's tone. "The girl?" Lucy muttered, her head tilting to the side in thought.

"Yeah, brown hair, blue eyes, hurt shoulder? Might be using magic?" Erza rapidly listed off again, leaning forward with poorly concealed anticipation.

Lucy's fingers snapped, "Now that you mention it, she was holding her shoulder in an odd way! I didn't even remember that…" The blonde paused and her expression dampened to a baffled expression. "But how did you know that?" Lucy murmured, leaning back in her chair with a small frown.

Ezra didn't even hear Lucy's question as her mind raced. _'Could_ _it be?'_ Ezra took a small breath, as a quiet laugh of inexplicable relief seemed to bubble up.

Akira was okay. At least from what Lucy said, she seemed to be doing well enough to take down a petty thief. That was more news than she had found in the past week and a half she had been looking.

"The marketplace right? That's where you found her?" Erza spoke, resting her elbows on the table. With a bit of luck, if she asked around she could find a few leads. Her eyes lit up in anticipation at the thought. She'd have to tell Mira that she was going to postpone going on missions for another day or so.

By now Lucy was staring at her with bewilderment and a good amount of concern.

"Ezra? What's this about? What do you mean found her?" Lucy's nose scrunched in thought before something seemed to click. "Does this have to do with you not going on missions for the last week?"Lucy exclaimed, her eyes brightening in realization.

Erza paused for a moment, it wouldn't be fair to Lucy if she didn't tell her. Actually, she hadn't been being very fair to her team by keeping them in the dark if only for a small sense of pride at the events that had went down. Next time she went into the guild, she'd have to mention what she had been doing to Natsu and Gray.

She blinked at Lucy's imploring expression and gave a nod. "Yes it does, I suppose I should've told you about it a while ago. Do you remember when I left two weeks ago to go on that mission past Onibus?"

Lucy paused for a moment before nodding vigorously, "I do remember that! Nastu, Gray and I all went on that awful mission! The cost alone was-" Lucy clamped her mouth shut for a moment and gave a nervous laugh, "-I mean uh awfully nice mission down near Crocus, totally worth the cost! Hehe…"

Erza opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off a moment later.

"May I take your order?"

The question stopped the red headed woman in her tracks and she turned to see the waitress at her back again. The employee was turned around and was addressing another table that was a few yards away from them. She watched the careful swaying of the girl's chestnut hair in the breeze.

"Erza?" Lucy asked, her gaze flickering between the waitress and her friend, "You okay? You were just about to tell me-"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Erza stated, shaking her head as she turned to give a cursory glance back to the waitress. Again a small voice in the back of her mind told her that it sounded distinctly familiar…

Erza ignored her persisting thoughts and leaned back in her chair and gave a quiet sigh. Lucy gave an imploring look and the red head briefly wondering how many times she would have to tell this story in the next twenty four hours.

"After I went on my mission," Erza began with a start, "-which ended up being a disaster, but that is story for another time, I was on my way home when the train-"

* * *

Sounds of laughter and chatter revolved around her. The sun was still just as warm as it had been earlier that day and yet Akira still felt that shiver of ice that had run through her. Her mind replayed Mika's words and conversation.

 _'You were right Sora-sensei.'_ Akita bitterly thought. Walking back through the doors of the cafe with a load of dishes in her hand. She easily dumped them next to the sink and quickly made her way out toward the doors. _'The Valentina's are nothing more_ _than lying, thieving crooks and_ _we might as well add another list of crimes.'_ She took a small breath and ran a hand down her face. _'What am I supposed to do_ _Sora-sensei?'_ Akira swallowed and clenched her fists at the realization.

It would be so easy just to quit, grab her pack from the alley and just run away. But she had no doubts what would happen if she did. Mika would either sign the papers and give over her land.

Akira's eyes wandered back to her coworker. If she was being honest with herself, Mika would never sign the papers. And it was only a matter for time before Valentina's went right for the property itself. And that small town needed protection more than ever.

"I wish you were here Sensei." Akira murmured, the words quietly spilling from her mouth as the shadows of the doorway covered her face. She knew in her heart that she couldn't do it alone, not all of it. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

Walking through the door, she plastered a customer friendly smile on her face and carefully avoided looking at the slew of cameras surrounded the table of interest. She took a couple orders here and there but the words went in and out her ears and she leaned slightly to the side to try and get a quick glance at the table. It was hard to see between the flashes of cameras and the bodies of girls but Akira was pretty sure she didn't see any sort of legal papers on the table.

She'd have to get a closer look.

Moving to the side, the sun caught her eye and she lifted a hand to shield the beam and turned to the side. Her line of vision caught a flash of scarlet hair but she paid no mind as she tried to chalantly move herself closer to their table. She slipped past a camera man and carefully wiped down table number five as she listened to the reporters ask them questions.

"Mr. Valentina! Is it true that you're happening to star in your own-"

Akira rolled her eyes at the question and carefully inched her way closer and closer. She didn't want to hear about some new motion picture. She wanted to hear about the business. Leaning into a few reporters, she shimmied her way in and carefully looked around. It was obvious they weren't on the table but they had to be somewhere.

If there was some sort of briefcase that held the pertaining contracts. She could steal them. And if she could steal them, then any land contracts they had over Mika's property would be gone. They loved lording their wealth over others and Akira had no doubts that if the contract to hand over the land was here, then all the other important documents pertaining to it would be with them.

Akira's eyes raked across the ground, she took a step back and let out a gasp as she bumped into one of the reporters. A pad of paper and a pencil hit the ground and Akira immediately dropped down next to the reporter to help gather up her things.

"I'm sorry," She halfheartedly spoke, grabbing a few sheets. Her eyes carefully swept the ground as she tried to get a look under the table. "I really didn't mean too..." Akira paused and she took a breath at who she was staring at.

It was the Missy Evans. One of the greatest and uprising reporters that Fiore has ever seen. She was actually a mage but instead of joining a guild, she used her skills to find the evidence to make a case and a headline on some of the most prominent and corrupt people in the news.

Akira herself had never met her before. She'd only heard rumors and tales of the woman's skill in digging up information no one wanted to be brought to light. But with the amount of stories she had heard and the amount of articles out there, Akira that she was the real deal.

"Well are you going to give me my papers back?" A smooth voice interrupted her train of thought and Akira shook her head.

"Oh, yes! Sorry!" Akira rushed, carefully reaching out to give the pile back to the reporter. Both of them stood up and Akira flustered under the reporter's look. The other didn't seem to notice as she distractedly leafed through the papers and leveled the grouping of reporters and their special 'VIPs' with calculated look.

Akira herself craned her neck to try and get a better look but more reporters crowded in and it was clear that the only was she was going to get a good look was if she barged through on the pretense of refilling their drinks.

After a moment, the reporter gave a frustrated sigh and leaned back against the table that Akira had just cleaned. The waitress stood there for another moment before moving on. As much as she liked corrupt people being called out for what they did, she couldn't say that she felt that comfortable in the reporter's presence.

There was a term for people like Missy and that was relentlessly nosy. Akira didn't trust the good looks and the honey smooth voice. Everyone had secrets and what the reporter didn't realize or didn't care to realize is that people kill for those secrets.

Akira heard a voice above the rest and she turned around to look at the table in the far corner. An older blonde was waving her down and her eyes widened, she hadn't even gotten to that table yet and they had been waiting for at least a half hour.

"I'll be with you in a moment!" She waved back, rushing back inside to grab some complimentary drinks. Blowing a breath of hot air, Akira's mind flashed to the Valentina's before she turned to go inside. She could see Mika waiting in the window and her mood darkened. She was going to help Mika and that was a promise.

As she turned to head into the cafe, what Akira didn't notice was the calculated glare that was leveled between her and crowded table. With a look of interest, Missy scribbled a few things down on her note pad before disappearing back into the side streets she had come from. She had all the information she needed for now, but she'd be back.

* * *

Lucy laughed, "So that's why Cana came in with the strawberry cake! I honestly thought it was because she was drunk- well she's always drunk I suppose. But I was just thinking that she was a little more drunk than usual."

It was hard for Erza not to just get up and walk over to get a good look at the employee's face. The voice was bothering her and Erza's muscles were bulging with an innate feeling of impatience. Waiting and watching was not her style at all.

But Erza wasn't as impatient as Natsu, she knew when subtly was needed. And it wasn't like she wanted to do anything loud or showy, not with the cameras around. The last she wanted was to bring bad publicity back into Fairy Tail- they already got enough of that as it was. Nowadays, one look in the wrong direction could be considered assault. And in those court cases, the mages always lost to civilians. So grabbing a waitress due to intuition would be a dumb move on her part.

"Why don't I just call her over?" Lucy finally asked, misinterpreting Erza's gaze, "I'm totally hungry too! We've been waiting here for almost half an hour and I really want to try a frozen strawberry blast.

Erza didn't even get a chance to voice her thoughts before her teammates voice echoed across the terrace.

"Um, Excuse me!" Lucy called, raising her hand up to wave the waitress over. The blonde rose a brow when she saw that Erza was vehemently shaking her head. "Oh stop it!" Lucy lightly spoke, "It's not like this girl can just refuse us- despite what you've told me about the 'dangers of public service.'" Lucy could honestly not understand Erza's wariness of civilians. There had only been a handful of times where her friend had scared the waiters serving their table speechless. But then again, Lucy had never been a powerful SS-Class mage that liked to shoot swords and ask questions later, so she couldn't relate all that well. She didn't really have the whole 'scare people on sight' thing down. "She is an employee here and it's not like she can just run off in the middle of a shift. And I really do want to order a drink, I'm parched."

"I'll be right with you in just a moment!" A young voice called, Erza turned her head and caught a full view of the waitress. She took a small breath.

Lucy gave a smile and a nod before settling back down. "See! Piece of cake!" Lucy asked, almost beaming at her own cleverness. She waited for a moment but Erza said nothing. The blonde frowned, "Erza?"

The red head abruptly stood from her seat, her hands resting on the edge of the table. Lucy's eyes widened at the sudden movement and she yanked on Erza's arm. "Erza!" She hissed, glancing over to the flashing cameras, "You're making a scene and I really don't want Jason to see us-"

"It's her." Erza interrupted, catching Lucy off guard.

"Her? What do you mean her? Who's her?" Lucy frowned, her brow crinkling in confusion. She let out a long suffering sigh, "Erza you're not making any sense."

The redhead didn't even seem to hear Lucy as her eyes intensely followed the waitress' movements.

 **Author's** **Note:**

Yep, this arc is finally going to be coming to a close soon and the next one will begin! Everything is gonna boil over in the next chapter. Thanks so much for being patient with me! Comments and thoughts are well appreciated! This chapter felt very scatterbrained so if there is anything I can do(besides updating sooner cause that one is obvious) to make this fic better I would love to hear all about it! The events aren't exactly 'in order' but more like snippets of conversation happening on each end of the cafe. It'll all come together next chapter and hopefully make sense in the semblance of a storyline.


	8. A Couple of Charity Cases- Part Three

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Six Part Three

Akira quickly flicked off the nozzle and settled two glasses of ice cold strawberry lemonade on the counter in front of her. She took the extra time to top off the rims with a dollop of their famous cream. Placing the drink on the tray, Akira set a bowl of strawberries on the side before quickly making her way out the doors.

The bell rang slightly upon exit but Akira was already halfway across the terrace to the far table. "I apologize for the wait." Akira spoke, settling the two glasses on the table, "The drinks are on us," She grabbed the strawberries and tucked the tray under her arm, "Now, what can I get for you..." Akira sucked in a breath as her eyes met the two mages. The scarlet hair was unforgettable and even without the heavy suit of armor- Akira knew exactly who it was.

Her eyes flickered to the redhead and her lips firmed. Akira could almost feel the throb in her right shoulder and she couldn't quite make the knight's gaze. She knew for a fact it was too late to just walk away. A small flicker of hope went through her, maybe she wouldn't be recongn-

"Nice to see you again, Akira." Erza paused on the name and Akira's chest pounded. It was clear by the gaze in her eyes that there would be no convincing anyone that she was being mistaken for someone else. The preteen suddenly decided that she didn't like the way the mage spoke her name.

Akira lifted her chin, "Wish I could say the same." She muttered, not bothering to look up as she pulled out her notebook from her apron.

Erza hummed and slowly set down the lemonade. The knight's gaze beelined for her throbbing shoulder and it took a good amount of willpower for Akira to resist turning her body to the left so the red head couldn't look at it.

Akira squirmed as both of them stared at her. She briefly entertained giving a fake name but at the red head's gaze it was easy to see that she wouldn't be convincing anyone. Akira let out a sigh, "Name's Akira, as you clearly are already aware of." She spoke, her voice subdued. "I'll be your server for the afternoon. What can I get for you?" Her eyes flickered over the pair and she was surprised to recognize the other one at well.

 _'The dumb one.'_ Akira's expression flattened and she couldn't help but shake her head when she saw the same bag hanging behind the chair. It would probably end up getting stolen again by next week if the blonde went anywhere near the same shops- they were too close to the rougher part of town and the blonde didn't look like she could handle herself even slightly.

The blonde's eyes lit up, "Hey! You're the one who helped me get my bag back!" She happily spoke, leaning forward against the table with a bright smile. Akira almost wanted to shrink back at her imploring gaze but couldn't find solace as both sets of eyes were on her.

" Well, uh-" Akira awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. She was mildy surprised that the blonde had remembered her and wasn't necessarily thrilled with the idea. She gave a half shrug and shyly hid away from the blonde's enthusiasm, "It wasn't that big of a deal." It was obvious the blonde didn't notice her awkwardness or seem to care as she beamed back the same dazzling smile.

"I never did get to thank you," She rambled, her voice cheery and bright as she moved to take a sip of the lemonade, "My name's Lucy." Akira stiffly inclined her head at the introduction. She didn't bother even trying to remember it.

"How's your shoulder doing?"

The preteen could already feel her warm, chocolate gaze on her and her mind steeled. It was pity, that's all it ever was. Akira bristled at the question and she couldn't be help but scowl, "How's the armor doing? I see you aren't walking around looking like a shiny tin can today." All three of them seemed surprised at the words and Akira froze at her own words.

 _'Me and my big mouth.'_ Akira's face went a slight red. She coughed lightly and pulled at her collar and ignored the blonde's flabbergasted look. The last thing she needed to do was sass another customer. Akira waited for the reprimand but instead she received a smile. "Actually today is my day off." Erza hummed, "I only like to look like a tin can every other day." The woman's laugh was like a soothing cup of hot cocoa. It vibrated through her whole chest, it was infectious and warm. Akira didn't like the way it made her feel.

Akira calmed slightly and sheepishly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. If she found a little humor in it then at least Akira wouldn't get another complaint put against her. She already wasn't sure how she was going to pay for the teapot. Akira took a breath, "So what can I get for you two?" She awkwardly spoke, trying to get the conversation back on track. She didn't really want to continue talking to the pair longer than she had to. Akira leaned down to set the bowl of strawberries on the table. Her right shoulder twitched as her arm reached across. She almost wanted to glare at Erza's almost knowing look as the knight quickly assessed her injury. Akira carefully ignored her and turned back towards the blonde who was still looking over her menu. "Are you interested in a meal or is it just desserts for you two today?" Akira asked, inching away from the other side of the table.

"I think we'll just be going for desserts." The blonde muttered a few things to herself as her fingers traced the menu. Her chin dropped down to rest in the palm of her hand and she gazed over the list, "What would you recommend?"

"Everything is good." Akira reaffirmed, quickly speaking up, "Cece- my boss," She explained, "-is the best pastry chef in Fiore." And that was completely true. Akira couldn't say that she liked Cece as a boss but she couldn't deny that the fiery woman knew her way around the kitchen.

"I heard that she was world renown," Lucy's eyes lit up, "But if she is as good as you say then I don't know what to choose!" The blonde let it a dramatic sigh and to Akira's surprise, she dropped face down against the table. "...What's your specials for today?" She murmured through the menu. Akira had to lean forward to hear the muffled words.

Akira's brow raised in slight amusement, "Well the specials are red bean paste sweet buns and freshly made pumpkin almond spice rolls." Lucy hummed over each choice and lamented over the menu.

"There are just too many choices!"

As much as she didn't want to, Akira couldn't help but find some amusement in the blonde. She was surprised to find herself actually relaxing a bit in comparison to how she was feeling earlier. Akira was surprised that Lucy wasn't as stuck up and rude as all the other girls she had been serving. She had the same look, the same style and yet there was something in her gaze that Akira didn't see in anyone else she had served that day.

"You have a beautiful smile."

Akira startled at the voice and immediately her face deadpanned as soon as she caught Erza looking at her. "No I don't," She muttered, her cheeks slightly protruding in a frown. Akira coughed slightly into her arm and cleared her throat. Her cheeks blushed a bright pink as Erza gave her a warm smile of her own. Akira lifted her head and glanced down at where Lucy's gaze had gone. The blonde was still glancing over the menus and her finger landed over one of the items. a thought came to her and she cut off the blonde before she could speak. "Don't get the meringue today." Akira muttered thoughtfully, remembering back to this morning. Her lips thinned and twisted into something bitter, she swore she could still smell the burning sugar.

Lucy's brow wrinkled, "What's wrong with the meringue-"

"Just…" Akira struggled for the words, thinking back to that morning- she still hadn't scraped the burnt stuff off the ceiling, "Just not today, come back another time if you want meringue."

"Oh." Lucy quieted for a moment before shrugging, "Well~" She thrilled, happily looking over the menu, "I think I'll take a slice of your white tie, triple decker chocolate cheesecake."

Akira nodded, "Good choice. And what can I get for you?" She asked, turning towards the knight as she scribbled down on her pad.

"So you didn't go to a healer then?" Erza hummed, her voice dipping low with concern. The pencil paused on the paper for a moment but Akira quickly finished writing down the order.

"What can I get for you?" Akira's voice was tight and her eyes flickered to the blonde who was staring at the two of them with a strange look on her face.

"I can already tell it's swollen just by looking at it." Erza continued, ignoring the question, "It must really hurt, especially when you have to lift anything with substantial weight."

 _'She's right you know.'_

Akira grit her teeth at the thought and her didn't like the way her heart was pounding. She immediately wanted to dismiss the offer and walk away. But with her throbbing shoulder and that stupid, warm look, Akira couldn't help but falter. It was true. Throughout the week her grip was getting weaker and her arm was beginning to itch with the pain. Akira wasn't dumb enough to believe the lies when she kept telling herself it was getting better. It wasn't.

"All it will take is a walk through the town, Fairy Tail is close by." Erza noticed the way Akira bristled and she put on a reassuring smile. "I promise it will only take a total of ten minutes, you don't even have to step inside the building."

Erza's eyes were filled with worry as she stared at the waitress. _'Please take my offer.'_

As much as Erza wanted to just grab the girl and take her back to the guild, she knew she could never force her. That would only cause a scene and make it worse. Erza knew now that the girl wasn't part of any guild. She didn't have teammates and by all means she seemed to be on her own. If Erza could just get her to the guild, get her to see Fairy Tail… Then maybe, maybe Erza could help her.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Akira ground out, the thought of even going near a guild put her out.

Erza put her drink down and leaned over the table, "If you'll just take ten minutes we can-"

"What can I get for you?! Just answer the question!" Akira's hands slammed against the table and only Lucy seemed surprised at the action. Akira ignored the slight twinge in her shoulder and instead fully looked in the red head's eyes. Her arms were shaking from the effort and her breath was beginning to come out hard. _'That stupid look!'_ Akira couldn't help but turn away. Erza was still staring at her with that same honey colored gaze that made her feel all warm inside. Slowly, Akira lifted her hands off the table and curled them back towards her side. With some effort, she reigned in her temper and put a tight lid on the simmering magic that was beginning to boil away under her skin. She suddenly felt a little childish at the outburst and couldn't have help but take a moment to compose herself. A few of the other tables eyed them but one glare from Erza, unbeknownst to Akira, sent them quickly turning away.

Akira pinched the bridge of her nose and a hand ran down her face, "My shoulder is…" She trailed off- not even wanting to deny it anymore. "Listen, I didn't ask for your concern, okay? I don't need it and I certainly don't want it." Akira swallowed and put the pen behind her ear. "Let me go get that cheesecake for you." Gripping the notebook, Akira stormed towards the kitchen. She flitted past the counter and reached under to pick out a slice. The knife loudly hit against the platter and Akira quickly lifted the slice and was about to set it on a plate before she paused. Akira instead reached under the counter and grabbed a box. Setting the cake inside, she garnished the top with extra strawberries and cream. The cash register beeped and Akira ripped the paper off the top before walking back out. She quickly set the box and the paper down at the table. Akira ignored the looks and didn't bother to meet either of their gazes. "Thank you for eating at Sweet Cream Cafe, have a nice day." Akira forced the words from her mouth before she stalked off. Not bothering to look back as the blonde examined the bill. It was free of charge of course. Akira didn't want to have to deal with them anymore than she had to.

"Excuse me."

Akira grimaced and paused in her walk, she slowly turned to look over her shoulder.

The redhead was the picture of calm as she sipped her lemonade, "You didn't take my order."

Akira's eye twitched and she knew she just couldn't just refuse service. "What do you want?" Akira hushed, she didn't bother to turn around, she knew the damned woman was giving her that same look. Both of them knew she wasn't talking about the menu.

"Ten minutes of your time and a slice of strawberry cake." The redhead offered, giving a small smile. Titania knew she was getting close, she could just feel it. She knew Lucy could see it to. The blonde was already interested in the waitress and she could see Lucy looking at her shoulder in concern. It was swollen, that much was obvious. Much more swollen than it had been two weeks ago. Erza could see the skin was puffed up against the collar of her shirt. It looked painful and awkward to move and Erza was starting to worry if there was something more wrong than just a rotator cuff injury.

"Just…" Akira paused and both Erza and Lucy looked up, "Just ten minutes?"

"Just ten minutes." Erza affirmed, nodding her head, "That's it."

"And no strings attached? No funny business?" Akira nervously spoke, her voice dipped down and she turned to look back over her shoulder. "If I give you ten minutes you'll go away?"

"No funny business, you don't even have to walk inside. I promise."

Erza's voice was kind and Akira couldn't help but mull the idea over. She took a few sharp breaths.

 _'I can't believe I'm actually considering it.'_ Akira thought, bringing the pencil up to her lips as she nervously chewed on the end of the eraser.

Both Lucy and Erza were looking at her and Akira shrunk back. "I can't, I'm working right now." She lamely finished, turning her head to look at the other customers. It was alarming to her that she was beginning to run out of a legitimate excuse. "I can't just leave…"

"Well when does your shift end?" Lucy asked, her voice bright and cheery, "We can come back-"

"I don't mind waiting." Erza stated, speaking over her friend.

Akira was taken aback by her words, "I work till closing." She murmured, her voice tinged in suspicion.

"Well when's closing?" Erza asked, her voice was calm and Akira couldn't help but feel a twinge of contempt.

Akira's eyes narrowed and a rush of satisfaction went through her. "At six." She challenged, a smug look flashing on her face for a moment. Akira had gotten her now. She flipped her notebook up and looked expectantly at the mage. This was the moment of truth of course. Sure, the mage nice in the beginning but everyone was. This was the moment the woman declared the same thing everyone else had ever said about her. No one would ever wait that long, especially for her. Akira knew she wasn't worth the effort-

"I don't mind waiting." Erza reiterated, nodding her head. She firmly crossing her arms in her chest and leaned back against the chair.

 _'Wait what?'_ Akira blinked but and her mouth dropped slightly in shock. There was something about Erza's serious demeanor that caught Akira off guard. Sitting there, with her shoulders and back rigid and her expression so resolute, the Fairy Tail knight looked as if it would take a horde of vulcans to get her to move even an inch. It was as confusing as it was frustrating. Akira couldn't understand her thinking. Even Erza's friend was looking at the scene with a baffled expression.

Something passed between the two mages and Lucy let out a dramatic groan, "Fine Erza, fine. Well I might as well put in a few more orders then." She sighed, looking back over the menu, "If we're going to be here till six I might as well get my fill on desserts. And just so you know Erza," Lucy continued, flipping back through the menu, "You're paying."

Even now Akira couldn't help but stare at the two with confusion. "You do realize that's four hours right?" Akira pushed, her voice hardening.

"Four?" Lucy asked, looking up at the sky, her brow went up, "Its two already?!" Lucy balked, "I thought it was one!" At the same moment her stomach rumbled loudly and she gave a slight glare at Erza. "It's also been six hours since I ate breakfast."

Erza's lips curved into a small smile,"Well you'll have to thank Cana and Lisanna for that."

Lucy blinked, "No," She shook her head, "I'm pretty sure you're the one who caused the most amount of damage."

"I'm surprised that you would know," Erza continued, sipping her lemonade, "Considering you ran out halfway between-"

"Do I look sword proof to you?!" Lucy huffed, taking a handful of strawberries from the dish. "I'm trying to actually survive before I reach twenty five." She roughly pulled the dish away when Erza went reaching for it. "No way! They're mine! You're the one that made me wait this long in the first place. I'm hungry!"

Akira tuned out the rest of the banter and her mind churned. The blonde was willing to wait five hours? That was unbelievable. It didn't make any sense. _'Why would anyone wait that long?'_ Akira couldn't make heads or tails of it. She shook her head and immediately gained her sense back. She couldn't go with either of them. They were crazy. This knight was crazy and Akira wanted nothing to do with her. Akira could make it on her own by herself. She didn't need anyone's pity or help or whatever else the two were trying to offer her. She didn't want to be part of a guild and she didn't want to- _'Who said anything about being part of a guild?!'_ Akira squeezed her eyes shut and stalked off. Uncaring as the two mages frowned as she left.

* * *

Akira continued the rest of her shift, stopping briefly to drop off the slice of strawberry cake and a few other assorted pastries. She had assumed that the pair would've left after thirty minutes at most but it had been two hours and still they were there, waiting. Akira was now thankful for the amount of people she had to serve. It kept her mind off of her own problems and it was almost easy to spend her energy on something else.

By now about two thirds of the reporters had left and it was easier to get a good look at the table. Akira had found the briefcase, propped up against the side of the table. She had glanced at it a few times but hadn't stayed in one place long enough to really stare at it.

Inside was a grouping of papers that Akira was itching to get her hands on. She didn't deny that she didn't find the idea of shredding each and every paper and lighting them on fire entertaining but the smartest plan would be to sneak it away long enough to steal the deed.

But now that would be impossible for her to do. Not with two pairs of eyes staring at her the rest of her shift. Akira looked up at the sky and mentally counted off the time. The closer her shift came to ending, the worse the feeling in her stomach became.

She was very nervous. Akira was uncomfortable with the idea of going with the two mages. She just couldn't bring herself to go with those people. They were untrustworthy and the only people who had ever wanted anything to do with her were either dead or trying to make it so she was dead. Even her own parents…

Akira had immediately stopped that train of thought. They weren't worth her time or effort and neither were these nosy mages who obviously were a little too interested in her. Why would they ever want to have anything to do with her?

 _'Maybe they do just want to help?'_ The idea made Akira pause and she couldn't help but wonder. But that was impossible. People don't just help people for nothing. That's not the way the world worked.

 _'Well then why did you help the blonde when her bag was stolen? That was doing something for nothing.'_

Akira grit her teeth and resisted the urge to punch her stupid brain.

 _'Why are you helping Mika? You have your own problems to deal with.'_

Why indeed. Akira couldn't really give an answer to her own thinking but she didn't want to dwell on it.

 _'I'm not going with them and that's final.'_ Akira nodded her head and briskly walked into the kitchen to set another pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen. Her shoulder ached at the weight and once again the proposition swirled in her mind.

"I can always go and then leave if I don't like what I see." Akira deliberated, dropping the dishes in the sink. If the knight had wanted to do anything to her, wouldn't she have already done something? Akira knew she couldn't take on the mage, Erza was clearly more powerful than her. And Akira had a distinct feeling that she hadn't even seen the full extent of her powers yet. Though, it wasn't like anyone else had seen the full extent of her powers either.

"There's only two hours left."

The voice startled Akira and she whipped around to look at Mika. Her face was shadowed in the doorway but Akira could easily see the tightness in her frame.

"I can't sit around and while they just wait there for me." Mika hushed, her voice growing hard with resolve that Akira hadn't seen before.

Akira frowned, "Wait, Mika. You don't mean you're going to-"

"No. I'm not going to sign," Mika firmed, "-and I'm not going to sit around and wait until they go away. It's been three hours and they still haven't left yet."

Akira turned and Mika leaned against the doorway, "I don't know what I'm going to do. But I have to try."

Akira tilted her head to the side and before Mika could walk through the door, she grabbed her arm. "Wait." The waitress paused and turned. "I have an idea," She spoke, her words rushed, "But you're not going to like it."

Mika thoughtfully frowned. "Well… At this point I'm willing to listen to any suggestions." The expression on Akira's face caught her coworker off guard and Mika's brows comically narrowed.

* * *

"So all I have to do it spill my drink?" Mika's nose scrunched up, "I don't see how that's going to do anything."

"It's the same concept as I explained before." Akira got out two glasses, "Once you're there, I'll come out with the drinks." The brunette nodded and she carefully pulled out a container from under the sink and began to shake. "But you need to sell it," Akira stated, stopping for a moment to look up at her co worker, "If he doesn't think you're giving in them he'll never fall for it."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Mika murmured, "Akira, I know you said you wanted to help but this is just- you're going to have to get into the kitchen and if Cece see's she's gonna lose her-"

"I can handle Cece, don't worry about me." Akira brushed off her concern though she couldn't deny that it was true, "Just worry about buying a few minutes so I can set up."

"Are you sure Kira-chan?" Mika asked, the other twitched at the ridiculous nickname. "Yes! I'm sure, I'm sure! Just get out there!" Akira pushed her coworker away and carefully reached under the sink to grab a couple of bottles. Mika disappeared through the door and Akira searched through the bottles. Reading the labels, Akira gave a slight smirk before pouring it into one of the glasses.

 **Author's Note:** Updated: 8/20/18


	9. Arc Final: Bloody Mary!

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Seven

Bloody Mary!

"I knew you'd finally come around."

Mika hated the way he smiled at her with his pretty, self conceited followers scattered about. His smile was predatory and all she could see in him was a likeness to a pedigreed dog. She wasn't sure which she hated more- him or the fact that she had actually liked him in the first place.

Swallowing, Mika sat down in the offered chair. She stared down at the table for a long moment.

"You think you're so clever don't you?" She finally asked, looking up to meet his eyes. He flipped his hair and carefully shook his glass full of ice. He hummed and wiped away at the condensation dripping down the side of the glass.

"I would say I'm more strategic than clever." His lips curved and he took a careful sip of his drink, "This is just more of the business aspect of our relationship. I really do think you're a beauty-" Mika spine went ramrod straight at his roaming eyes. "-so don't fret Mika-chan, this is just a little over your head. All you have to do is sign this and I'll make all the bad stuff go away."

The other boys looked bored at the proceedings, not bothering to say much of anything as they rolled their eyes and busied themselves with the surrounding girls who were begging for attention. Mika's closed her eyes for a moment. Her hands balled together against her thighs. "T-This land, my family's land, has been in our hands for over six generations." She spoke, her voice falling in the undercurrent of noise coming from the other customers.

"Six generations is enough, don't you think?" Lucius' voice was kind and his chin tilted down and his eyes were filled with compassion. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Now don't act like that Mika-chan," His voice was much kinder than she had expected and he ran a hand through his hair, "You make me out to be the bad guy but really, I'm just doing you a favor. It's been a long time, taking care of your mother and the farm-"

Mika could feel the softness in his voice and it was then she realized why she had first fallen in love with him in the first place.

"She's been sick for a long time." His hands rested against the table, "You're trying so hard to keep something going that should've never been your burden." It was just him and her. Mika looked up into his eyes and her body almost relaxed as his hand gently cupped her cheek. His smile was brilliant and suddenly it was as if she was meeting him all over again.

She had run into him at the college, tripping over the stairs as she had tried and failed to see over the stacks of books that was held in her hands. Everyone had laughed but him. Instead, a kind stranger had helped pick up her books and carry them back to the apartment where she was staying. It had been a really sweet gesture after a week of feeling rejected by everything the capital had to offer.

Mika had always felt vulnerable in the city. It was so different from the rustic farm life on which she had grown up in. Once her father had died, she had tried to become the "man of the house" and in a mage's world she really did feel a bit like the odd one out. Coming to the city had been something she had to do. With no work, there had been no choice but to move to the city to find some way to support her mom and her grandmother. She had spent so long trying to keep on a brave face that it had felt so good to have a handsome stranger sweep her off her feet and make her feel like a princess. It had felt so good to have someone take care of her for once instead of taking care of everyone else. Just once had she wanted to feel like she had all those years ago; safe, protected and unafraid of a world that had seemed so magical.

"-that's why I'm going to take that burden from you, Mika-chan. You won't have to be bothered with caring for her anymore."

Mika's eyes went open and she was struck by the words as soon as they managed to process. Good feelings were gone, every thought and memory of pain caused by him came rushing back. Pulling away from his touch, she glared at him, "My mom is not a burden." She hissed, her face going red with the thought, "How dare you insinuate such a thing! If you think _that_ some sort of kindness then you're just sick!" Lucius leaned back as if he had been struck. His perfectly shaped brows were furrowed and he stared at her like she was some sort of complex puzzle that he couldn't quite figure out. The teen genuinely seemed taken aback by her words as if he himself couldn't possibly fathom that there was anything wrong with what he said.

"Well no matter," Lucius continued, slightly miffed at Mika's biting tone. He quickly withdrew his hand away from her but nevertheless seemed unperturbed by her renewed anger. "You don't have to like it but signing is your only option here, Mika."

"That's because you made it that way." The waitress spoke, watching as Lucius began to undo the straps on the briefcase that was sitting on the table next to him. "So who was it?" Mika asked, eyeing the contract with disdain. Multiple paper's surrounded it and her blood curdled as she saw a familiar piece of paper that held her family's property deed on it. "Hmm?" Lucius hummed, blinking slightly at her question, "I don't understand what you mean."

"Who sold us out to you?" Mika muttered, her face growing dark as all the pieces were laid out in front of her. "I don't care how powerful you are, that information is very private! Those are the original land deeds to our property- don't even try and denying it," Lucius' eyes narrowed and he carefully set the paper in front of him before leveling a calculated look in her direction, "Deny what?" His voice betrayed nothing and already Mika could see that she was right on the money.

"Someone would've had to have gone into our house and steal those." Mika finished, shoving the papers back slightly, "I knew you were low but frankly I'm disgusted. Everyone was right about you." Mika's jaw set, "You and your family are nothing more than commonplace thugs." Her words were harsh and Lucius' friends had turned slightly at the tone to catch a glimpse at the exchange. Even a few of the fangirls who had been listening to the conversation grew slightly uneasy. Whispering ripples between the remaining girls but Mika could hardly care what they thought. This was criminal and she wouldn't stand for it.

Lucius blinked at to her surprise, laughed. "You think I hired someone to steal these?" His body almost relaxed and anything revealing about him was hidden once again under his smug, devilishly handsome face. "My family is the furthest thing from commonplace and we are certainly not thugs." Mika's eyes lowered to the table and her fist balled up against her thighs. It didn't matter if it was criminal, it didn't matter what she thought about it. It didn't matter that this guy, this family was stealing everything her family had built over the last thirty years. She couldn't do a thing about it.

Taking a pen from his pocket he set it down hard against the table with a resounding thud. "Don't pretend to understand who my family is and what we represent." Lucius had the same easy going smile and yet his eyes said something different, he was angry. "Everyone can be bought with a price and you would do well to remember that, Mika-chan." He finished, nodding to the papers as if he had finally decided he was done with her. Mika looked down the paper and her heart sank. It wasn't a long contract but the print was small and she knew she didn't have the time nor the skill to even attempt to read through the fine print.

In her mind she was scared but in her heart she was angry. A sense of pride filled her and Mika refused to let any of her unshed tears brim and spill over her cheeks. _'What would father think of me now?'_ Mika thought. She was her father's daughter and to spend some of her last moments fighting for their land by begging- that was shameful and would dishonor her family. She would never sign, not ever. Mika opened her mouth to speak and yet another interrupted her.

"Drinks, on the house."

There was a chink of glass and Mika looked over to see a hand reach out and settle a tall glass of something she couldn't recognize out in front of her. Looking up, she was relieved and a little nervous to see Kira-chan. The girl was rigid though that wasn't anything Mika didn't expect to see. Akira took herself a bit too seriously and had ever since she had first shown up on the doorsteps of the cafe.

Honestly, she wasn't a bad worker but Mika always thought it might be nice if she actually smiled. It was slightly unnerving to be served by someone not only so young but with such a sullen expression. It only took a day until Cece had Akira moved to the back so her unfriendly glare wouldn't upset anymore customers. If it had been the boss' choice, Akira would've been dismissed. She was only kept on Sam's request. There had been a very loud, one sided shouting match- Cece shouting and Sam calmly arguing his point. Mika wasn't sure why her boss argued at all with him. It may be her kitchen but Sam's title was on the deed to the land. He always won any and all arguments. After all, it was impossible to persuade the mind of that old coot once he got on something. It was a well known fact that ever since he had gotten sick from the last outbreak of black gold, he had never really recovered in the mind. Mika hadn't known him back them but she could believe it.

But Mika really couldn't disagree with Cece's point of view. Akira always looked like she was miserable. Sometimes she looked as if she never had a reason to smile before. That thought made it a little easier for Mika to be a bit more lenient on the kid than she normally would've been to someone so prickly and sullen. What kid didn't smile? It was concerning to her and as a result she tried to go out of her way to at least try and make Akira feel a little happy.

Her coworker was actually a lot kinder once you pushed back a few layers. Mika had been relieved that her coworker had been willing to help her own situation with Lucius. She didn't really want to involve anyone at work but it was kind of impossible when the Valentina heir decided to bring the argument there. Mika glanced over at the girl standing at the table over and there was a part of her that became a bit uneasy. There were still doubts in her mind and she was beginning to think that maybe she should've gone to Cece in the first place to help deal with the problem.

As long as Kira-chan had been working here, Mika had never seen such destruction and between both Cece and her put together, there was a lot. The girl had destroyed carts, tables, the kitchen multiple times. However, Mika was sure that Cece had a hand in it. The chef, as much as she declared she hated brats, was a bit too enthusiastic in getting riled up by Akira's antics. Mika knew that there was no way that Akira had gotten knives stuck hilt deep into the wall when she had burned the meringue and splattered it all over the kitchen. The two of them played off each other like fire and it really only ended with loud yelling and some unidentifiable item being thrown across the kitchen.

There was a point in her time as a waitress where she had to actually apologize to a man after he had been hit with a dented pan that had somehow broken through the doors and decimated the lunch on his table. Surprisingly enough, he had been more ecstatic about meeting the owner than he had about getting his lunch copped. He didn't even seem to care about his food dripping down his button up shirt as his shouts of "Cool!" shook the building. Later, Mika ended up recognizing who the man had been after she had by chance picked up the next addition of Wizard Weekly. She had also been mildly surprised to find out who had been featured on page five. Apparently Cece was more famous than she gave her credit for.

Mika herself hadn't really been sure why the new girl had even stayed. Considering the bodily threats that she was leveled with everyday, most other employees would've left. But looking at Kira-chan, standing near Lucius with a farouche look in her eyes and a recognizable look of distaste in her body language, Mika finally realized that she must truly be the only normal one at the cafe. What kid readily decided that it was normal to attack people who bothered you? What kid was okay with having knives thrown at them on a daily basis? It wasn't normal. Nothing about this place was normal.

"You smell."

The venomous words broke her thoughts and she watched as Lucius took a deep breath through his nostrils and leveled an aloof, disinterested look at Kira-chan.

"You smell like cheap rubbing alcohol and garbage." Lucius remarked, distastefully edging back from Akira as if she was diseased. Mika was about to open her mouth but then the smell hit her as well as she couldn't help almost gag. It was horrible and yet something so distinct, so specific, that it could only be one thing. Mika's eyes widened and she glanced between Kira-chan and the drink. Subtly moving forward, she dipped her finger in the glass and ran her hand under her nose. The smell almost brought tears to her eyes and she discreetly wiped her hands off on her napkin. Why had she put all those cleaning chemicals in the drink?

The chemicals were very special. Their boss ordered them from out of the southern part of Fiore. They worked very well with cleaning up residue left from the different greases on the pans as well as different magical residues which could sometimes come if lacrima embedded utensils were used in the baking process. However, the slight traces of the magical base in the solution left an acidic and foul smell if it was left out too long. The substance itself could be dangerous if not handled correctly and was definitely not meant to be combined with nor consumed. Mika couldn't not fathom the need to make such a horrible concoction. If exposed to skin, the chemical burn alone could cause some serious scarring.

Catching Akira's eye, she gestured to the drinks in a silent asking of what exactly she did with the drinks. Was there a point to it? Mika had thought the plan was going to involve an actual drink- not this poison. Mika almost balked as she watched Akira shrug her shoulders as if the say that she didn't really know either.

The chemical smell had clearly reached a few other tables as other customers were coughing and carefully picking up their stuff to leave. "I won't suffer this place any longer, Lucius." One of his friends stood up with a girl in each arm and walked off, "Get your business done and then you can meet me at the club." Even the fan girls seemed to have trouble staying near as they edged slightly back to a few of the outskirting tables. Mika didn't blame them. Once a week in the evenings, her and Cecelia stayed behind and carefully cleaned the cafe top to bottom with the different chemicals. It worked very well but the smell was so strong enough that they let the cafe air out for fifteen hours before letting anyone in which is why they only brought them out after closing hours.

Lucius huffed and his teeth grit slightly as his friends seemed to all want to do the same, "Just sign the paper Mika." He distastefully leveled, "If I was going to suffer something this putrid smell, I would've gone to a brothel."

Mika froze, as did Akira. As horrible as the smell was, neither of the girls were inclined to let the careless jabs go. Akira bristled and Mika could see the challenge in the girl's eyes as she clearly did not like the fact that she was basically insinuated to be nothing more than a cheap whore.

"Ugh, I really don't have anymore time to waste around this filthy place, it smells like your farm-"

The world seemed to stop as Mika's mind was stuck on his words. She thought about her farm, and her family and her mom who she had been desperately trying to protect from these people, just like her mom had protected and helped her all those years after her father died. Her teeth grit and her eyes shadowed. A pen clattered across the table and chinked into the side of her drink. Her eyes lifted and with one look at his charming blue eyes, she felt herself being overcome in a red hot wash of rage. All those feelings she had buried came bubbling to the surface and in that moment, all civility went down the tube

"The answer is no Lucius!" Her voice rose and she abruptly stood from her seat, the chair fell on the floor behind her with a loud clatter and any of the of the other patrons, who hadn't noticed or cared about the exchange, eyed Mika with interest. Grabbing ahold of the foul drink Akira had previously set in front of her, Mika did the first thing that came to mind.

SPLASH

Lucius was drenched head to toe and Mika froze in shock at her actions. She had dumped the drink on the Lucius Valentina Jr. Her horror only grew worse as she could see the unidentifiable liquid begin to steam and hiss against his hair. A howling shriek pierced the quiet of the cafe and yet Mika was even more shocked to hear a laugh accompanying it. It wasn't until she laid sight on Lucius, clawing at his face as he shrieked like a teenage girl that she realized it was her own laugh. The edges of his hair were already beginning to fray and a pungent odor was beginning to come off of his clothes.

"You foul, disgusting whore!" Lucius spat, sputtering as his sense were invaded by the smell.

"Oh? Who smells like a whore now?" Even Mika had to step back at the wall of stench, she held her arm over her nostrils.

Lucius choked, overcome with anger and shock. His expression was vicious and her couldn't seem to contain himself enough to properly rise from his chair. Between the cheimals washing over his face and the pure shock of events, he seemed like a fish out of water. "You made a big mistake Mika! When my father-"

"Shut up."

His stuttering was cut off by another wave of liquid as Akira chucked the contents of her own glass at him. Hitting in square in the open mouth, he gagged and fell back into a sitting chair. He didn't even have the words to spit back as every time he opened his mouth he and retched. The second glass, having been half filled with floor polish, left a slick residue against his face. His fingers clawed at the offensible material but that only served to smear it more into his clothes and skin.

Akira paused where she stood and looked between Lucius and her empty glass. "Huh. You got the right idea." The entire table was sopping wet and papers were strewn about. Akira's eyes sparked and lips curved mischievously. "That was way more satisfying than I would've thought."

Lucius lifted himself up and ran over to a further trashcan to throw up again. Many of the other patrons grimaced at the sight and even more people got up to leave. Bending down, Akira lifted up a semi dry piece of paper and Mika was happy to see it was the deed to her land.

"Back to rightful owner, I suppose." Akira shrugged, letting Mika take it from her. "I liked my plan but this one was better. Although..." Akira frowned for a moment and stared down at the empty glass before looking back at Lucius' retreating form. "That was too easy." She finally stated, shaking her head slightly at the thought before settling the empty glass against the dripping table. All the hype before hand, the amount of time Mika spent holed in the kitchen- it was a bit anticlimactic. "I would recommend getting your family out of whatever town you have them in because I can definitively say this isn't the last you'll see of him." Akira muttered, wiping her hands downs against her apron.

"Lucius! Oh, I'll help you~!"

A few of the braver girls carefully made their way over to him and helped him to his feet. Their disgust was clearly visible on their face as the smell of vomit overrode their senses.

Akira watched in slight amusement and her eyes trailed his retreating form, "You'd better wash it off!" She called out, cupping a hand around her mouth, "It'll leave chemical burns if you're not careful." Turning back towards Mika, she ignored the now renewed hysterics of the gaggle of teenage girls and lazily stretched her arms above her head, "I don't think dumping a drink on him will keep the guy away for long."

"Do you always have to be so cynical?" Mika spoke, carefully gripped a few of the surviving papers. An elated feeling rose in her chest. Everything accounted for was what she would need to get her property back. "Can't we at least celebrate that he left?" Her words were admonishing and yet she didn't have the heart to really put any feel into it as she watched Lucius finally leave, carrer away by his entourage. She was too happy, too relieved to really have the heart to actually scold the person who had made this possible.

"Nope. Here."

Mika held a hand out and barely caught a apron that was thrown at her. "The only reason I can celebrate is because I don't have to do your horrible job anymore." Akira's put her hands behind her head and wrinkled her nose when she caught sight of the rancid mess around them. "I think I overdid it with the polish." She murmured, uneasily edging away from the liquid dripping from the tables as white, squishy chunks oozed and dried against the stone terrace. Akira snickered slightly to herself, "Well it's not my problem to clean up. I believed that falls under your job description. Cece can kick your ass for once and not mine."

Mika plugged her nose and leveled a look at Akira. "As grateful as I am for your help, what in Earthland did you put in those drinks?!" She asked with a laugh, shaking her head in slight disbelief.

Akira's lips curved into something of a guilty grin, "That's the stench of victory! A mage never reveals her secrets." She spoke, "-but I do have to say, it would've been fun to use this!" Rummaging around in her pocket, Akira pulled out a small fire lacrima. Mika blinked and her brow narrowed, "Where'd you get that?"

"I stole it from Sam's collection." Akira admitted, throwing it up in the air before catching it. "Oh don't give me that look," She continued, eyeing her co worker who was leveling her with a disapproving gaze. "It's just one lighter and it's not like he needs fifty to light a cigarette."

Akira." Mika's voice was stone cold, "Sam doesn't smoke. That's not his."

Her eyes widened slightly, "Really?"

"Yes really. You took it from the kitchen didn't you." Mika spoke, sweat-dropping as Akira began to play with it.

The girl shrugged, "So?"

"So!" Mika balked, "That means it's Cece's!"

Akira tilted her head in thought but finally she just shrugged, "Well I'm gonna go put it back anyways. It can't matter that much- I didn't even use it! And besides, she has like fifty of them lined up on the mantle above the stove." Mika closed her eyes for a second, "Kira-chan!" She breathed, stepping forward, "You need to go put that back before Cece notices! That's not a lighter!"

Akira rolled her eyes, "I'm pretty sure it is. See?" Akira allowed the flame to get bigger before flickering it on and off. "I don't see what the big deal is!"

"No. It's a big deal! A major deal!" By this time Mika's eyes had grown wide and she was glancing fearfully at the kitchen. "Those lighters are the awards that Cece got at all of those competitions! Haven't you ever seen a speed cooking championship! Those are super rare! If Cece found out you touched it, let alone moved it-"

The doors flew open to the cafe and entire block seemed to rumble with the sound. "Mika! Akira! What the hell are you two doing?! Why is no one manning the counter-" Everyone froze and Akira's face went white as she locked eyes with Cece right as she flicked on the fire lacrima once again. The chef's shouts died and she could do nothing but stare. There were no words to be spoken between the pair as Cece automatically assessed the situation. Looking down at her feet, she picked up a few broken shards of the tea pot and weighed them carefully in the palm of her hand. Table four was a mess, dripping with an unidentifiable liquid that have off a horrible chemical smell. Already, about a quarter of the terrace had evacuated and the sight of receding customers put everything together for the chef.

A disarming smile was plastered on Akira's face and she immediately hid the lacrima behind her back, "Cece, uh... I know this looks bad but I can-"

"That's three strikes you shitty brat!" Cece's voice cracked like a whip across the courtyard. Dropping the shards of porcelain from her hand, her heel crushed the remains into the ground, leaving a fine white powder. Her face burned a furious red before paling to a beautiful white. Rolling up a sleeve, a few of the patrons took a step back as the feeling of doom wavered through the air. Staring in the face of death, Akira could only do the one thing that seemed logical in that moment.

The lighter dropped from her open hands and Akira cleared the table just as a sharp knife flew through the air to bury hilt deep into the wood.

 _Fwoosh!_

As the lacrima flickered to life, the flame caught the edge of the puddles that were splashed against the ground and suddenly everything was engulfed into flames. Choking back a yelp of surprise, Akira was dazzled by her handiwork and couldn't help but skid to a sudden halt behind another table to watch. The table was completely engulfed by flames and the papers which had been semi wet were soaring through the air, smoking until they were nothing more than ash in the wind. The briefcase was nothing more than a pile of smoking leather and even the putrid scent seemed to be sucked in by the greedy flame. All in all, it had worked much better than Akira had expected and she was almost disappointed by the fact that she hadn't lit the briefcase on fire in front of Lucius Valentina Jr. That would've been a sight to see. Though, Akira couldn't say she was all that disappointed-

Sliding over another table, Akira's feet pounded against the stone in an attempt to get away from Cece. Any threats of bodily harm shouted in her direction barely phased her. She had no plans of ever getting caught by that devil woman.

It felt good. It felt really good to break through the door to the cafe and ransack her stuff from behind the counter. Grabbing her bag from underneath the glass case, a bubbling laugh rippled through her as she once again threw herself away from a pair of metal pans that were thrown at her with the force of a freight train behind it. There was always a slight sense of rush when she had someone against her back. Akira blamed Sora-sensei for that one. She'd spent her days training Akira by constantly throwing lethal objects in her direction. It was the familiarity that gave Akira the rush of endorphins.

Grabbing the edge of the glass case she shoved it to the floor and watched as it shattered against the floor, creating an immediate minefield of sharp glass and sticky baked goods. "Good luck getting through this, Cece!" Akira cupped a hand around her mouth and catcalled through the front of the store and to the back of the kitchen. There was a small blessing to having only one entrance and exit to a store. Slipping her backpack over her good shoulder, Akira shoved her way through the wooden double doors and froze in shock at the sight that she beheld.

It seemed that the flames had spread and there was a mass exodus going on. Akira looked on in shock as the blonde mage, Lulu- (that was her name right?) stood on top of a table as she seemed to be pleading for her life with a floating mermaid. She could feel the magic shimmering in the air and the sight of such magic made Akira stumble to the point where she almost fell over herself. She could feel the weight of the tendrils of magic that were coming out of the mermaid like entity. A familiar itch rose in her own chest and she feel the own hot rush of mana through her own veins. Taking a deep breath, she reigned in her own magic that was beginning to bubble under her skin. She knew what that was, she would never forget the feeling of the magic that she hated the most.

Her appearance seemed to catch the creature's attention as she had two pairs of eyes on her. "Ah, so you're the shitty brat that gave my summoner a reason to call on me?" The blue mermaid called out to her, her face growing dark as she shifted the weight of the urn in her arms.

Akira hesitated for a brief moment until she caught on to what the mermaid had said. She leveled a dirty look in the creature's general direction, _'Why does everyone call me that?'_

"What a nasty expression, you're not cute at all. Maybe I'll drown you along with her," The floating mermaid leveled a vindictive smirk at the blonde and suddenly Akira could see the similarity between her and Cece, "-two brats for the price of one, eh?"

"No Aquarius, you gotta understand," The blonde pleaded, waving her arms out in front in a gesture of placidity, "This is all just-"

"Shut up! I don't have to understand anything you have to say you little-"

Akira lost what was being said in the entirety of what was happening around her. She ignored the bickering fish and Lulu before carefully stepping around the flaming hunk of burning wood that had been table number four. She could see Mika still standing in the blazing heap of wood and ash. Her hair had fallen from her well kept bun and her hair swept around her face. Looking up, she held out her hand and Akira felt a twinge of happiness inside her as the dusting of ash fell against Mika's open palm.

Akira couldn't help but feel a little happy at being able to help someone before she had to leave Magnolia. Mika had been kind to her right from the start and it was nice to be able to think that she might've contributed a little too making her day a little better if not a bit more lively. It had been the first time in a while that she had spent a copious amount of time with someone else. She didn't really like Mika, but she didn't dislike her either and it wouldn't be bad to leave on a good note. After all, she was never going to see Mika again after this- not if she had anything to do with it. Akira was leaving Magnolia with or without the information that she had traveled here to get. She had already spent enough time here as it was and setting the cafe on fire had sealed the deal. It was only a matter of time before the Rune Knights came to investigate and she was going to be long gone before they could even get a whiff of the smoke.

Mika's eyes seemed to look up at her gaze and Akira gave her a parting wave. The other girl smile at the gesture until her face suddenly morphed into something akin to horror. "Run, Kira-chan!" Mika's voice broke through her own world and Akira could barely blink before a presence weighed behind her. The sun seemed to block out and Akira was pressed down by an unholy wave of killing intent. Turning, Akira could only see the glittering light reflect off a pair of deadly cooking ladles and her heart dropped as Cece stood over her. Her hooded gaze spoke volumes and her arms were raised above her head.

There was no way to escape and even if Akira had even thought to use her magic, her mind was still frozen on the chef's menacing glare that pronounced swift judgement. Tripping over her own feet, Akira fell back and rose her hands up in a semblance of defense. There was a slight breeze and suddenly the world seemed to pause once again as a body of silver armour flashed in front of her.

 _Zing!_

A pair of sword were crossed in front of her body and the ground below both Erza and the chef cracked in the collision. Thrice the scarlet haired mage had saved her from what would've been certain death. Akira was at a loss for words as the two woman were held a crossroads for a moment.

"Cecelia Chancy." Erza greeted, holding her swords out as each of them held their respective weapons out in front of them.

"Why isn't it Miss Erza Scarlet." Cece's eyes widened in slight surprise and her teeth pulled back into a wolfish smile, "Well I'll be! It's been a long time."

"Too long." Erza finished, nodding her head. "When I heard of a world renowned pastry chef had taken residence here, I never expected it to be you."

"Well I did say I would come back once I became the best."

Akira scrambled back on her hands as she tried to make heads and tails of the fact that the two could possible know each other. But at this point, Akira just didn't care anymore, she just wanted to escape with her life. Looking between the two, a realization hit Akira like a train. The almost unnatural speed, dexterity with knives and almost fourth sense of knowing when she was stealing food- it all made sense.

"You're a mage." Akira's dumbly spoke. Her mouth dropping slightly open as she stared at Cece with her newfound knowledge. Cece's eyes locked with Akira and her brow quirked as if to say, _'You just figured that out now?'_ The girl scrambled back as Erza leveled her own weapon down. The chef didn't even looked phased by the sharp weapon, "Didn't know you were one to stand in the way of a well deserved beating, Scarlet."

"I didn't you know you were one to go around beating on kids, Chancey." Erza countered, leveling her weapon. "Doesn't seem very classy for a world-class chef."

"She destroyed my restaurant, _again."_ Cece dead-panned and Akira sheepishly ducked her head at the exasperation in her words. The chef blankly gestured around her and Akira couldn't help but wince slightly as another table caught on fire. She really hadn't meant to cause that much trouble, she'd just been trying to help. In her own embarrassment, the preteen missed the way Erza's mouth quirked slightly at the statement before falling back into a stoic demeanor. However, Cece seemed to catch the motion, "Tell me, Scarlet." The chef paused for a moment and her ladle struck forward again, striking hard against the metal of the sword as Ezra effortless shifted her grip to match the blow, "Since you seem to be familiar with the brat, does she go around and destroy stuff like this all the time or is it just my restaurant? I didn't pick up some wayward fairy now did I?"

Akira's head shot up and she was completely taken aback at the assumption. Looking between the two mages, she scowled, "Don't call me that! I'm not a fairy!" Akira hissed, making herself known as the two mages standing in front looked down at her. She threw up her hands in vehement denial of the claim, "I'm not really even a mage-"

"Kid, that's one big damn lie if I've ever heard one." Cecelia interrupted, clearly unimpressed with her loud insistence, "You may not be a fairy or even a guild mage but you're certainly a mage." Cece jerked her head down towards her, "Kid, you're literally steaming with the stuff."

Akira looked down at her arms and was surprised to see that she was in fact steaming. She watched with a dumbfound expression as wisps of smoke rose from her skin. That wasn't the first time that it had happened but usually it was because she had been either training or doing a mission. Perplexed, she stared down at her hands, momentarily forgetting where she was at the moment. She experimentally stretched and flexed her fingers. The flow of magic in her veins was warm and filled her body with energy. Erza's curious gaze flickered back at the girl still seated against the ground. _'So she is a mage.'_ Erza, up to this point, had assumed and had taken Akira's non-answer on the subject as affirmance but this was the first time that Erza had seen any magical ability or potential from with girl with her own two eyes. Erza fixed her gaze over to Cecelia and pinned her with a look. Occupied with her own magic, Akira missed the exchange that passed between the two mages.

 _"So that's how it is."_ Cece's glance flickered between the sword and Akira, and found that there was no quarter to be found in the knight. The chef nodded to herself. She crossed her arms over her chest and allowed a ladle to lazily rest against her arm. She made a mental note to catch up with the knight after this. It was clear that she wasn't going to be able to make Akira pay so she might as well get what fun she could out of Erza. Idly flipping her ladles, Chancey gave a vicious grin, "Now that I think about it, I still owe you from _last_ time!" With a twist of her wrist, she leveled a frightfully powerful blow at the scarlet haired mage, crossing the space between them in a clear challenge. Erza didn't even move as she caught the blow with the edge of her sword. Sparks flew and the chef tilted her head back and let out a laugh, "It's been awhile since I've gotten in a good brawl- but that sure doesn't mean that I'm rusty!"

"Prepare yourself, Chaney!"

Again and again the two mages went at each other. Akira watched with her jaw slightly open at the fight. _'So this is what a mage's battle looks like.'_ Akira had forgotten what power mages had and she wasn't sure what was more impressive: the fight or the fact that she could tell that the two mages weren't even trying. Forcing her eyes away from the clashing swords and impressive kicks, Akira carefully stood up. Flexing her hands, she felt the energy flow through her body. Light tendrils of magic lifted off the tips of her fingers and she looked between the pair. Normally, she would've tried to make a break for it but with the energy running through her veins, she paused. With this kind of power in her, she felt strong, maybe she could do something other than run.

"Akira!" It was Mika's voice again and Akira turned only to see a monstrous wall of water coming from across the terrace. The blonde was engulfed first, disappearing in the wave as Mika quickly was swept up after her. The two battling females didn't even glance in the other direction as they lunged towards each other, Cece wielding a broken chair like a battle axe before slamming it into Erza's chest.

The wind picked up and the ground rumbled with the force of the wave. Stumbling back, Akira could see a warped figure through the thick wall of water and a heavy weight of magic flooded through the cafe. It invaded her systems, traveling up through her pores and the sensation sent her fingers and toes tingling. Akira could only stare in horror as the wave reached its crest high above her. Clutching her bag to her chest, her neck craned and a shadow fell over her as the wave came crashing down from above. Nope she should've run, even considering not running had been a terrible idea.

"Oh bloody-"

* * *

"Extra extra! Get the Magnolia's latest news hot off the press!"

The man's voice echoed through the streets and no one really seemed to want to pay him much attention. That wasn't unusual and it looked as if the paper man didn't even want to be there. It wasn't as if anyone really wanted to be standing under the drizzle of the rain.

It had been a little under twenty four hours since Akira had been blown away by the flash flood. Hunkering down, she bypassed the newspaper man who was beginning to put away his papers. Akira didn't bother stopping to try and look at one, she already knew what the front page said.

The rain drizzled and she paused for a second and reached a hand out to swipe a slightly soggy newspaper from the pile. If she wasn't going to read it, she could at least use it as a makeshift umbrella. Holding the paper above her head, water soaked into the thick paper. She appreciated the small reprieve from the rain that was being dumped over the city. After the cafe had been engulfed in water, she had lost sight of everything and everyone. Akira wasn't sure where it had come from but she was sure the blonde and her scary fish tailed demon had something to do with it. Who would've thought that such friendly face could summon such monsters from the underworld?

It didn't really matter now. Either way, the cafe was the talk of the town and Akira didn't need to walk by the place to know that the combined efforts of everyone had ruined the place. Akira hadn't been surprised when Lucius Valentina had come forward as a "victim" of the fire as his stuff was found at the scene of the crime. Akira had no idea what was going to happen to Mika but she could only dread what would happen when the Valentina's took her to court for whatever charges they could drive up to put against her; assault, arson, attempted murder…

Following the crowd, Akira bumped shoulders elbows with a stranger. His body hit hard into her and the paper was knocked from her hand and onto the ground. The flow of the crowd pushed her forward and she could only glance back as her paper was trampled into nothing more than paper shreds. Sticking her hands into her pockets, Akira scowled and attempted to readjust her aching shoulder.

The rain had started coming down earlier that day and it was all that Akira could do to try and keep the miserable cold from chilling down to her very bones. She hadn't been able to get dry since the huge wall of water had knocked her clear across the block.

She had spent the first hour of the early mornings looking for her things which had been washed away. She finally recovered her bag, which had been crunched under the side of a dumpster. Akira had felt the hope drain from her when she had taken a look inside. Everything was torn to shreds, just like her newspaper. Gritting her teeth, Akira shoved through the crowd. She felt herself being pushed and jostled by strangers. The sky rumbled and Akira side stepped into a nearby alley and allowed people to hurry past her to get to their destinations- it wasn't as if she was going somewhere.

Her back leaned against the dusted brick and Akira didn't even care about the dirt that she was getting on herself. Out of everything she had been expecting from today, the last thing that she ever expected was this. There was no contingency, no backup or way to prepare for the emergency situation of almost being drowned miles away from shore by a magical fish lady who came from the same pits of hell that her ex-boss came from.

Squeezing the excess water from her ponytail, Akira wiped her nose on the corner of her sopping wet sleeve. All of her savings, supplies, clothes- ruined by the harsh rapids of the flooding. Her bag had broken open in the impact and anything of value that she had been planning on using to get her to the next town was lost. Even the blue glowing key had gone missing too, she could've at least sold it at a magic shop for a couple jewels.

Her mind was was still racing when she thought about everything that had occurred. The wave had been so powerful, so big and she couldn't help but wonder. The magic had felt familiar, the same horrible feeling that she remembered from her time in the forge. Akira shivered at the thought.

The forge was something that she tried very hard to forget. For three years she spent her life in that place, forced to work until she could barely keep from passing out. Staring down at her hands, Akira traced a particularly large scar across the center of her palm.

The callus on her hands from the tools had faded exponentially from what they were but the scars would never go away. The one on her palm was from one of the few times she had fallen asleep while keeping the forge heated and maintained. She had been tirelessly watching the coals, adding more fuel as needed as to make sure the temperature stayed at the correct degrees.

There used to be a lot of people working when she started but when they started to disappear, it ended up falling on her shoulders to keep up with the backbreaking demands on the mistress. She had been forced to work around the clock and any infractions on her part resulted in punishment.

That particular time hadn't been the first time she had fallen asleep at her work station. That time, when she had fallen asleep, her body had slumped forward and the angle of her hand had twisted and stuck against the edge of the of the anvil. It wasn't a very large cut but it had been deep enough to where she had oozed blood on her work station and regrettably on the material she was supposed to be working with. Had it been steel, silver or even gold, she would've been fine… But unfortunately it hadn't been. When she was finally discovered, not only had the expensive material been ruined but the forge ended up going out. That day, instead of being punished by the head of staff for her infraction, she had been personally summoned and seen to by the mistress of the house. There were very few times that she had been allowed to descended up from the cellar stairs and into the manner.

Akira closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. If she concentrated on it long enough, she could still remember the creaking of the stairs and the harsh sound of heels against the pristine, marble floors.

Standing in the rain, Akira allowed the rain to wash out her feelings. The ugly bumps and scars on her hand were a reminder of everything she had escaped from. When she had first felt the blonde's magic, it had been bewildering and a fresh reminder of where she had come from. She supposed that's why she's had been steaming so much. Normally, she wouldn't have done dared to have shown something like out in public but the feeling of the blonde's magic alone had already drawn out her own. Even after two years, she still felt the need for protection against those people.

But now, after Akira had thought about it, there was no way it was the same magic. The feel of it was different and despite everything she had seen from the fish lady, there really was no aggression in the magic itself. It was as powerful as it was soft. Whatever it was, Akira was not anywhere near that level, her own power could barely even come close to something of that degree. Fairy Tail mages were strong and she had no doubts about that now. She'd have to remember to steer clear if she ever ran into one again.

Looking down at her hands, Akira focused and a soft hiss of steam rose from her hands as the rain came in contact with her palm. Her magic had finally settled from her fight with the train hijackers and she was ready to go on missions and begin to train again. Magic suppressors always reacted more violently with her magic than anything else did so she initially wasn't sure how long it was going to take to get her control back considering she hadn't been at one hundred percent when she had initially boarded the train.

Akira crouched down at the knees and tentatively looked around. With the alleyways empty and no one around, she took a deep breath, "Light for me." Her quiet whisper was barely audible and she was pleased to feel the warm tinge of magic on her fingers as a small, flickering flame arose in her hands. Akira stared at the flame for a moment before allowing it to fizzle and go out.

Leaning her head against the brick, Akira ignored the steam rising from her hands. The water hissed against her arms as they cooled down the skin. The prickling sense of fear that was starting to slowly realize through her. She honestly didn't know what she was going to do. She might have her magic back but that didn't solve any of her current problems. As far as she could tell, every job pertaining to her skill set was taken or offered to a guild mage. She was still in the same place she had started.

The city was misting with the rain and the rustle of the day seemed to mellow out as the rain drenched the city. People in the street rushed on by through the crowd until they seemed to disappear into buildings or under umbrellas until they disappeared altogether down the grayed sidewalks.

Taking a small breath, Akira pushed to her feet. Her legs were exhausted and her body ached as she pressed herself up against the damp brick. The sky rumbled and misery seemed to sink into her like the cold of the rain. She needed to find a place to dry off. With no clear a destination in mind, Akira picked up her ruined bag with her shredded possessions and stepped off into the streets. She twisted through the roads navigated her way through the unfamiliar area. The rain began to fall harder and Akira held her hand up in an attempt to keep the water from her eyes. Water dripped down the back of her shirt and she could feel it slowly beginning to pool in the bottom of her shoes. Picking up the pace, she skidded around a corner and ran right into someone.

"Watch it!" Akira hissed, grumbling slightly as her shoulder groaned in complaint, "Someone could get…" She trailed off as she caught eyes with the last person she had been expecting to see again. Stumbling back, an armour clasped arm grasped her own and she was steadied on her feet. Akira looked up and she couldn't help but stare at the other person with tired, unbelieving eyes. Akira felt the rain lifted off her shoulders as an umbrella was brought over her head.

"It's cold today."

Akira couldn't help but let out a scoff as a shiver ran through her. There were no words really. She didn't have much to say on the matter as the water dripping from her clearly indicated her agreement.

"I know I place where we could get out of the rain?" Ezra ventured, "It's nothing big, nothing special but it's dry and I know that you can get a warm cup of cocoa on the house." The rain pattered against the umbrella and the only answer Ezra got was silence. She stood there for a moment and then two before letting out a small sigh, "Well, I suppose if you have places to be then I don't want keep you. The invitation is always open." She finished and looked up at the rumbling sky. "But at least keep the umbrella until you get there, okay?"

The umbrella was still clutched in Akira's grip and she watched as the scarlet hair seemed to shine in comparison to the surrounding gray streets. Erza was already gone, strolling down the street and leaving Akira just as dumbfounded as she had been the first time she had met her. She had been mildly surprised at the lack of pushing from the woman but somehow that didn't make Akira feel any better. The girl had nowhere to go, nowhere to be and no money to get anywhere. She had no plans and a dry place and a hot drink sounded better than a long night of sitting in a cold alley. The sky rumbled and Akira's mind was made up.

"Wait." Her voice wasn't particularly loud but the scarlet haired woman paused in her quiet steps. Ambling up, Akira's feet splashed in the puddles and she found herself standing next to the woman. "Just... ten minutes?" Akira quietly affirmed, dipping her head low as she didn't dare to look up as she asked the same question she had the last time she had seen Erza.

"No funny business and you don't even have to step inside." The woman's voice contained the same promise she had made the first time those words had passed her lips. Akira nodded slightly in remembrance and she allowed herself to fall in step with the mage as the two of them disappeared into the gray, misty streets of Magnolia.

 **Author's Note:** Updated 8/20/18


	10. Fist Fights in Fairy Tail

Chasing Dreams

Fist Fights in Fairy Tail

Chapter Eight

 _'So this is Fairy Tail?'_ Akira thought. Her head craned back and she stared up at the building before her. She wouldn't have noticed it or even bothered to take another glance at it in the downpour of rain.

Water pummeled the top of the umbrella and the wind blew gusts of cold mist into her face. It was freezing outside and yet Akira couldn't help but have second thoughts about going inside.

Erza had kept her promise and hadn't pushed even once when Akira had stopped a few feet away from the entrance. She was true to her word when she said that Akira didn't have to go inside. However, the red haired mage did prop the door open a little before she herself entered the building.

 _"Wait right here, Akira. I'll get you a cup of hot cocoa."_

Erza had been gone for about ten minutes and Akira was beginning to get antsy. Light spilled from the crack in the doorway. Akira couldn't help but find herself shivering as walked up towards the door. Standing under the alcove, she leaned against the side of the building and tried to peek inside. Warmth and good smells escaped from the building, it was very inviting.

Biting her lip, her resolve was beginning to wane. Her stomach growled and her muscles were aching her to sit down and get off her feet.

 _'I should just leave.'_ Akira thought to herself, internally debating on what to do. It was the rational thing to do, the smart thing. But a stronger much more impulsive part of her begged her to go inside and face the unknown. Sighing, Akira shook her head. There was no point debating on it. She had already made up her mind.

Closing the umbrella, Akira shook out the water and stood there for a moment as the sky echoed with quiet rumbles of thunder. Gripping the doorway, she pushed the door open and slipped inside.

Immediately warmth seized her. She shivered slightly at the abrupt change in temperature and stared a little at the sight. Akira wasn't sure what she had been picturing but this place seemed like any other bar. A few tables were upturned here and there but the noise level was about what Akira expected on a late midweek night. She stood there for a long moment, almost unsure of what to do. Water dripped from her and she couldn't help but feel a little like a wet cat.

Leaning the umbrella against the wall next to the doorway, Akira shouldered her bag and cautiously stepped forward. Her lips firmed and she didn't look back at anyone who glanced in her direction. After the show with the blonde and the evil fish lady, Akira was hesitant in starting up anything that could lead to a fight.

Looking around, she didn't see the red haired knight. It was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Akira, she didn't like standing around, awkwardly waiting for someone she would barely consider to be a familiar face. Pursing her lips, Akira ran a hand through her tangled hair and shook out the excess water. Her wet hair was beginning to chill the back of her neck.

The bar was mostly empty, thankfully and Akira carefully set herself up on a barstool. Her bag slumped off her shoulder and she set it on the counter. There were whispers at her back and Akira could feel a few pairs of eyes staring into her back.

"What's a kid like you doing in a place like this?" A voice called directly to her right.

 _'Here we go again.'_ Akira dryly muttered, her words barely audible. Looking down the bar, she spotted a woman she hadn't previously noted. Her body was shadowed in the corner and Akira could smell the booze from here.

The woman's smile was wolffish. She expertly knocked back a mug of ale or whatever other poison that was going down her gullet and a pair of tarot cards moved quickly in between two fingers. "It's a late for little girls to be wandering around after dark." She purred, her eyes hidden in the dark of the room.

Akira bristled and sized her up. Biting words were on the tip of her tongue but she did nothing but level a suspicious look in the woman's direction. "Eh… You wouldn't be looking for a fight would you?" She leveled, her eyes narrowing.

"And what if I am?" A smile split her lips and the poorly dressed drunk leaned forward. Her eyes seemed to gleam at the prospect and the tarot cards in her hand doubled. "You gonna do something about it, kid?"

Akira didn't outwardly show any change in emotion but her insides dropped at the prospect. The fact of the matter was that she was in a place that she really didn't belong surrounded by people who were all assumed to be experienced mages. Even an old drunk like that could probably get a few good swings in with her shoulder out of commission.

Water dropped down from her clothes and pooped into puddles around the old stool she was sitting on. Akira was tired, chilled and hinestly was barely holding herself together as it was. What would a fist fight do for her? Nothing. At the best she would win and get thrown out of the guild right back into the rain. At the worst… Akira swallowed slightly and her muscles ached with her slightly shift in weight.

That realization hit her like a train and Akira found herself slipping out of the seat. A cup of hot cocoa wasn't worth another set of bruises.

"Now, Cana! That's not how we talk to guests!"

Akira turned at the disapproving voice and she met a pair of sparkling blue eyes. While her own were dull and more of a gray blue, the woman's were brilliantly bright.

"Ah, come on Mira! I was just messing." The drunk- Cana pouted, "You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious?"

 _'Curious about what?'_ Akira's lip firmed and she looked back between the two. She didn't like it when people talked about her like she wasn't there. Her cheeks puffed out and Akira couldn't help but scowl at the underdressed drunk in the corner.

Cana caught her eye and abruptly laughed, "Look at you, Akira-hime! What a dark look on such a pretty face!"

Akira was taken aback by the words, "I'm not a princess." She muttered, looking uneasily in Cana's direction.

"Stop teasing, Cana." The barmaid's arm stretched across the table and there was a steaming cup placed on the counter.

"Yeah, yeah- sheesh! The kid and I were just hitting it off, no need for the demon look." The drunk muttered into her cup, winking at Akira, before taking another swig.

"Don't be bothered with her, she doesn't mean any harm." The woman's smile was reassuring but Akira was still uneasy.

"How'd you know my name?" She tentatively asked, giving Cana a glance before edging away from the counter. Her head craned slightly to look around but she didn't see Erza anywhere.

The white haired woman smiled, her teeth sparkled, "Just a hunch," She leaned forward against the counter, "I'm going to take it you're the one that Ezra has been talking about. Akira's eyes widened slightly at the sentiment and she was surprised to that.

"You know Erza?" Akira spoke, looking back at the barmaid with interest.

The white haired lady giggle slightly and smiled, "Erza is a dear friend of mine, she mentioned you might stop by." Her hand stretched across the counter and the white haired lady wiped down the water that had dripped across the wood.

"Really?" Akira snorted in disbelief, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh yes," The barmaid cheerfully spoke, giving the girl a smile, "She's been talking about you all week."

Akira found herself at a loss for words and she was caught off guard. Something warm fluttered in her chest at the prospect. Erza, had mentioned her?

 _'But why?'_ Akira couldn't help but wonder, her nose scrunching in thought. A week ago Erza hadn't even known where she was. Had she really been so intent on keeping her promise?

The barmaid seemed to misinterpret her look because she held of her hands in a faux surrender, "All good things, I promise!" Her laugh was light and infectious, "You know," she spoke, leaning forward across the counter in a conspiring manner, "You can take a seat if you want, Erza shouldn't be too long and she was very clear in instructing that you get the finest cup of hot cocoa Fairy Tail has to offer." The white haired lady seemed to notice her hesitation, "I promise Cana won't bother you anymore- isn't that right Cana?"

Her voice raised slightly at the drunk's name but Cana barely seemed fazed. "Yeah yeah, I got it Mira," She slug back a large gulp and audibly smacked her lips in content.

"I can take care of myself, you know." Akira couldn't help but mutter, shooting both the barmaid and the drunk a look. Nevertheless, Akira pushed back up into her seat. A steaming mug was pushed toward her and just from the smell she could tell it was definitely hot chocolate. Taking a small breath Akira swirled the contents in apprehension. The barmaid's kind eyes looked at her expectantly. Gripping the edge of the hot mug, Akira looked between the woman and her drink before finally taking a small sip.

It was rich and Akira couldn't help but close her eyes as the warmth immediately spread to her cheeks. She paused for a moment on the taste. Lifting the mud up, Akira greedily took another drink. It was good, really good.

"So how's it taste? Mira-nee made it special! Her hot chocolate is the best!"

A voice from her left startled Akira and she choked mid drink.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you!"

Akira sputtered out a few wet coughs and internally cursed herself. She was never this jumpy but there was something about these people that made her more on edge than usual. She cleared her throat and carefully wiped the hot chocolate running down her chin onto the back of her hand.

"I wasn't scared." Akira immediately responded, "Just a little startled is all." She wiped the back of her hands on her pants. Her nose wrinkled at the residual stickiness and she turned her head towards the voice only for her jaw to drop slightly in surprise. Her head whipped between the two. "Hey…" Akira's eyes narrowed, "This isn't some sort of magic is it?"

"Only the magic of family~" The short haired woman sang, moving quickly around the counter to sling an arm around her…her?

Akira blinked for a long moment and stared between the two. At first they had looked the same but now she could see the differences.

"Are you her sister or her mom?" Akira pointed a finger at the barkeep and her eyes quickly moved between the two, "I can't tell."

The life seemed to drain out of the oldest and her face buried into her hands, "I'm not that old!" Mira wailed, causing the other two to sweatdrop. "Lisanna! I don't look like an old maid do I?!"

Akira was startled back as a cry erupted from the eldest. Her face morphed into horror and her mouth dropped open slightly. She really didn't know how to react to making the barkeep cry. Her mind froze and a significant amount of guilt dropped heavily against her chest.

"Mira-nee," The youngest one comforted, though any other words were drowned out by Cana's sputtering laughs.

"Pfft! She got you good, grandma" The ale sloshed in her mug and she choked on the liquid, "You got the white hair and everything!"

"I didn't mean anything by it." Akira quietly bit out, casting a clear look of displeasure at the drunk. She really was starting to dislike her.

"You're just saying that because you don't want me to feel bad!" Mira wailed, burying her head into her sister's shoulder. "But I know the truth! I really do look old!"

Akira sweatdropped, "That's not true…" She uneasily murmured, looking around in hopes that someone could help her calm down the woman she upset, "You don't look a day over uh…" Akira shrunk in her chair and her mouth went dry as she peered at the barkeep. With the white hair and older styles clothing, Akira really had no idea "...thirty." Akira finally decided,"You don't look a day over thirty!" She declared, only to have her mouth drop open in horror as the barkeep began to cry even harder.

Cana visibly choked and fell back against the counter. Coughing, her drink sprayed across the counter and laugher howled which Akira actively ignored.

"We're sisters." The short haired one spoke, her eyes sparkling to life as she wrapped an arm around her still sobbing older sister. "I'm Lisanna and this is Mira. She's the oldest of the three of us."

Akira looked around in expectation but she didn't see another identical girl running around.

"Oh, there are only two of us here, tonight." Lisanna spoke, noting her curious glance, "Elfman went with Evergreen on a mission together."

 _'I hope Evergreen is the name for the last of them,'_ Akira sweatdropped, and carefully took a sip of her cocoa, _'Elfman is a horrible name for a girl.'_

"Mira! Did Erza come back yet?!" A loud voice called across the guild hall.

"Not yet," The barkeep cheerfully replied, lifting her head up and astonishing Akira with her completely tear free completion.

"Wait a second," The girl's eyes viciously narrowed in suspicion and Akira was beginning to suspect it had been a ruse, "Weren't you just-"

"But you can meet our new member!" Cana barked out, her smile gleaned in the dark of the corner, "She's a almost the same age Erza was when she first joined and probably just as much as a spitfire! You'd better watch out, Natsu!"

"New member?!"

"New member?!"

Akira's mouth dropped open in indignation as Cana grandly gestured to her by throwing a bottle cap her way. Mira reached out and caught it, "Cana! That is not what Erza-"

The name caught Akira's ear and the girl vehemently scowled, "Wait a second!" Akira interrupted, cutting of the barmaid. Sitting straight up, she glared at the mages around her, "This wasn't part of the deal!" Her good mood was gone and Akira tightened her grasp on the bag slung around her good shoulder. _'Erza_ _promised!'_ Akira thought, her mind betraying her as she spun around to look at the unfamiliar faces surrounding her.

Suddenly a head full of bright pink hair invaded her vision and Akira found herself in very close proximity to a stranger.

"Hey! Erza recruited you right?!" The cheerful boy asked. His sharp, pearly white teeth gleamed and Akira pressed her back against the counter.

"No one recruited me." She vehemently argued, glaring at the people around her, "I never said I would join a guild!"

"But you're strong right? If Erza recruited you then you gotta be strong!" He continued, his voice pitching high with excitement as he shook with energy.

"That's none of your business." Setting her drink down, Akira crossed her arms over her chest and looked around for Erza. Any direction she looked in, a mop of pink hair would block her line of sight.

"Fight me!" The pink haired mage declared, pointing a finger down at her.

"Thanks, but no thanks-" Akira's words were cut off as he invaded her personal space.

"I can smell the magic on you! Come on!" His voice pitched up in a very dramatic whine and

Akira balked, _'This guy is really persistent isn't he?'_ Gritting her teeth, Akira jumped off the counter and shouldered her bag. He eyes lit up and he got into a fighting stance. He was blocking the door and it was becoming clear that if she didn't do something she was going to be trapped here.

Cana's eyes lit up and she set down her drink to assess the situation. Holding her hand up, her tarot cards split between two hands before she laid them down against the table. Her eyes flashed and she looked between the two. It was obvious this girl was a spitfire, but how much could she hold up against Natsu was the real question. She'd been watching Akira ever since she's walked in. Cana was no expert in magic by any means but there was something off about the girl. She'd been slightly poking at the girl all night in attempt to really see if she couldn't shoot out even a hint of her magic. Cana leaned forward in anticipation, her hand spread across her deck. If anyone could coax little magic show out of her, Natsu would be the one. Cana wanted to see what Ezra saw in her

"Mira-nee…" Lisanna murmured, looking at the two, "I'm not sure this is a good idea. Erza already said that-"

"You want to fight then, Pinky?" Akira spoke up, her voice going dangerously low. The guild quieted slightly and Akira could tell by the looks on the faces of the mages around her that this was a regular occurrence. Pinky's cheesing grin was already baiting her and she could feel the hot flow of magic pulse through her bloodstream. His preparatory grin was her answer. "All right then, what's the rules?"

"Ghighighi! We only got one around here." Another mage spoke up. Akira turned around and was confused to not be able to match a voice to the speaker. Movement caught her eye and she finally could see him in the shadow of the room. Seated in the corner, his eyes were piercing and his wild, black hair framed his face to make him look like a madman. Thick iron bars riveted through his skin and Akira almost winced at the sight. They looked painful. "The first mage to either give up or pass out loses!"

Akira thought for a long moment before nodding her head, "Seems doable." She muttered, giving him a slight nod in understanding before looking back to Pinky.

Throwing her bag forward, it slid past him and thumped against the wall near the door. Akira carefully rolled her shoulder back, twinging at the distinct pain. She took a calculated step forward and her hands settled on her hips. A plan settled in her mind and she took a small breath to steady herself. Her legs coiled beneath her.

Pinky stretched his arms back and winded back a fist; "All right! Let's see what you're made of! I'm not going to hold-"

Akira didn't allow him to finish his sentence before shooting off towards him. His eyes widened in excitement and a fist winded back. Akira ran at him at full force and just when he was about to strike, she dropped. Sliding in between his legs, Akira slid straight past him and used the same momentum to leap to her feet. Taking a step forward, she swung her bag over her shoulder.

Stumbling forward, Akira caught her shoulder against the doorframe to steady herself. She really didn't plan on fighting him, that would've been really stupid. Akira has already seen how powerful Erza was and she had no desire to fight a mage that could easily be just as powerful. That one slide already had her shoulder cramping and anything more than a few punches would send it back into the same state it had been two weeks ago.

No, she'd been planning her escape.

This pink haired idiot had been exactly who she had been expecting. Mages were all the same and no matter what Erza said, Akira knew she was right. They were nothing more than sneaky, back stabbing mercenaries for hire. Everything she had seen proved it.

So if he gave her such an easy out, why wouldn't she take it? She was grateful for the hot chocolate but between the drunk and Pinky- it was clear that she had overstayed her welcome. And Erza didn't even bother to stick around, it was clear she had better things to do. Not that Akira really blames her. She wouldn't stick around for someone like her either.

Giving a mocking salute, Akira turned back around to face the door, "I give up-"

"Is this where you've gotten to, Flamebrain?" A shirtless man interrupted her, stretching out from where he was sitting in a booth. Standing up, he walked over to stand next to the pink haired mage. "Fighting little girls now are you, Natsu? That has to be the most pathetic thing I've seen all day."

Akira froze, her hands twitched and she clenched her fists as soon as his words processed. Spinning back around on her heel, her brows narrowed in indignation, "Who you calling little-"

"Why don't you come over here and say it to my face?!"

Both affronted mages shot each other a look before glaring back at the ice mage.

"Unless you want to my fist in your face I suggest you stay out of it, Gray!" Pinky hollered, "This is my fight! I saw her first!"

"First of all, I'm not fighting either of you!" Akira exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air. The pair didn't seem to hear her as they went head to head. Akira huffed and irritably shouldered her bag, she didn't like it when people ignored her.

"As if you could ever connect your fist to anything!" Gray jeered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is that a challenge?!" Natsu growled, shoving the other away.

"No, not for me it won't be."

"Gray-sama is so cool!"

Akira's mouth dropped in slight horror. She wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that the man's clothes began to drop to the floor or the fact that a woman had seemingly crawled out of the wood works to cheer on this impromptu stripping session. Even if she wanted to fight, there was no way in Earthland that she would be able to seriously fight a naked person.

Akira blinked for a long moment. Her mouth upturned in morbid fascination and disgust. As more clothes dropped to the floor, their fist fight began to get brutal. Spinning on her heel, she made her way to the door. With her back to the fighting pair and the shouts of the mages drowning out the noise, Akira gathered her things.

"You want a fight! I'll give you a fight!" Gray bellowed, holding his hands out in front, "Ice Make: Lance!" Crackles of magic swirled about and solid speed of ice flew through the air. Natsu easily dodge a few and sent a spinning kick of fire back.

At the same time, Cana leaned up from where she was, "Gray! Put your damn clothes on! We got innocent eyes watching!" The drunk mage hollered, throwing an empty bottle in his direction. Mira sweatdropped and turned her gaze to Cana who shrugged, "What? I have my morals, however skewed they may be."

The ice mage easily ducked under the burst of flames and the cheap shot Cana threw in his direction. What he didn't see realize is where the flames were going. Sailing over the top of his shoulder, the flames gave a bottle a whipping force and it caught speed.

With her back to the fighting pair and the shouts of the mages drowning out the noise, Akira hadn't even seen it coming.

The bottle drilled into her shoulder, sending Akira flying forward. She didn't even have a chance to steady herself before slamming face first into the floor.

Cana choked, "Oh shit!"

The two mages didn't even give a glance behind them as they continued to throw fists. Tables toppled over, sending the few sets of mugs spilling to the floor.

The two white haired mage's came running out from behind the bar. The younger of the two went straight towards Akira. Her blue eyes were wide and her hands fluttered nervously as she hurried over.

Mira's gaze was shoulders were tight and she quickly crossed the distance towards the fighting mages. Cana cringed and slunk down against the wall with her beer in from like a shield. The guild seemed to quiet slightly and an uneasy atmosphere churned.

It only took a scant few seconds before Akira immediately shoved herself up off the less than clean floor. Her face was already smarting from the fall. Lifting her right hand up, she felt the edges of her nose. Looking down, Akira pulled her hand away at the warm smear of blood that was staining her two of her fingers.

Akira's head throbbed. Her fingers slowly curled into a her fist and an immediate surge of rage flamed. Magic gushed through her veins and her fingers twitched with the sudden burst of energy. She could barely feel the pain in her shoulder. She could barely feel anything Akira's wildly glanced around and grabbed the first thing that she could get her hands on which happened to be her umbrella.

Lisanna closed the distance to the downed girl and she squatted down. She looked worriedly over Akira. Her hand tentatively reached out but immediately the girl jerked away from the contact. Her eyes flashed and Lisanna startled back at the glow. Mágica swirled lazily around the tips of her fingers, sputtering with a weak, erratic pulse of light

Her grip around the umbrella shook and without even a thought, Akira heaved it as hard as she could at the fighting pair.

The bright red umbrella ripped through the air. Mira's brows rose in surprise and she jerked back just as the offending object flew past her at a frightening speed. With an ear splitting crack it hit the back of Gray's legs. Opening up, the umbrella's wide brim tangled the mage's legs and sent him toppling forward into Natsu. Both mages fell to the floor in a sudden heap.

There was a brief pause before true guild was in an uproar.

Cana couldn't help but laugh, her hyena cackle echoed across the guild with Gajeel's closely behind it.

Juvia pounced forward and immediately attacked the offending object. The red umbrella was in tatters before anyone could blink. The rain woman's own umbrella was held tightly in her grip and she glared with devil eyes. Holding her blue umbrella like a scepter, she seemed to almost denounce the red one as a traitor to its own kind.

"Get off me you idiot!" Natsu bellowed, shoving Gray back, "If you can't even stay on your feet you shouldn't be fighting!"

"Says the one who can barely handle a teeter totter without throwing up!"

"Natsu! Gray!" Mira's voice was unforgiving and the two mages snapped to attention, alarmed at the sudden and seemingly unwarranted anger.

Levy who was sitting in a booth beside Gajeel paused in her reading. Her specs fell to the bridge of her nose and her face paled at the look on Mira's face who hands were outstretched to grab the pair. Sliding out of the booth, she took one last look at the two fighting mages before shutting her book with a snap.

"I think I might head out for the night. It's getting a bit loud." Levy spoke, fervently glancing back at the doomed pair, " I'm not sure there will be much of the guild left after Mira is done with them.

Gajeel's brow raised, "So you're not going to stay and watch?" He asked, eyeing in interest as Mira began chewing the pair out.

Levy shook her head, "And get caught in the crossfire? No thanks. I'd prefer to live long enough to finish my book." Hurrying towards the door, Levy rerouted past the toppled tables and gave Lisanna a quick nod,

Lisanna sighed and glanced at her sister, "Have a nice night Levy." The blue haired bookworm gave a nodded her head in thanks before slipping out of sight.

Levy wasn't the only one. The guild was slowly beginning to empty. Mages were either leaving or moving to sit on the outskirts near the walls.

Akira's breathing has turned ragged and the sudden outburst of magic slowed to a sluggish flow. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears and she carelessly steadied herself against an upturned chair that had clattered to the floor. Wiping her nose on the back of her hand, she waved off Lisanna's fretting hands.

"Don't touch me," She muttered, leaning away to protect her left shoulder as much as possible.

The blue haired bookworm opened the door to the guild but before she walked out another shadow darkened the doorway, "Erza! You're back!"

"Yeah, it took a little longer than I thought it would." Erza warmly smiled and stepped through the open door. "Did Akira come through? She's not outside so I was hoping…"

The smile dropped off her face as Erza finally assessed the scene in front of her. Chairs and tables were scattered across the floor. Mira was gripping the back Natsu and Gray's shirts- both of them sporting a good amount of bruises. But it wasn't until Erza laid her eyes onto Akira that her temper spiked.

Seated on the floor with Lisanna crouching next to her was Akira. She was leaning away from the white haired mage and the back of her hand was shoved up against her dripping nose. Her face was screwed up with a clear expression of anger, hurt and fear.

Walking forward, Erza immediately bent down on a knee and looked over Akira. The girl gripped her shoulder and she glared at Erza. Her eyes were angry and her nose was covered in blood. "Your guild is full of such _lovely_ people." Akira spat, her breath ragged, "I can't even begin to tell you what an improvement it's been meeting such an inspiring group."

Akira didn't care how she sounded. She didn't care how stuck up and bitter she looked. It felt so good to shove right up in the mage's face.

Erza to her credit, didn't even react. Instead, she reached down and gently touched Akira's cheek. "Are you alright?" She murmured, her brown eyes slowly training in on her nose. "What happened?"

Akira found herself at a loss for words. She had so much anger and frustration that would be so easy to lash against the older mage. Years of hating guilds ached painfully in her heart and yet a few simple words had her quieted. Erza's eyes were kind and the same familiar warmth filled her. The scarlet haired knight reached out and Akira didn't even think to stop her as she carefully brushed a few strand of hair away to get a better look at her face.

The surge of emotion at seeing Erza mixed in with her fading anger and her mind to confusion. She wanted to be mad, she really did. But looking around at the numerous amount of concerned faces around her made it hard to know what to feel.

Akira took a few small breaths and she sheepishly looked down, "It's just a bloody nose…" She muttered, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. She wanted to be angry and yet she didn't. Looking back at Lisanna who was seated on the floor next to her, she waved the mage away. "I'm fine! Don't make such a big fuss over it. Haven't you ever seen a bloody nose before?"

Her anger was subsided and now all that was left was nervousness. Eyes were on her and Akira couldn't help but uncomfortably toe the floor. She was not used to getting any attention and it was making her uncomfortable. No one was ever worried over her and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Rolling to her feet, Akira scoffed and carefully kicked the beer bottle away that was by her feet, "They're not so tough." She muttered to herself, pinching her bleeding nose before sticking her tongue out at the boys."I won fair and square anyways!" Akira's confidence returned a little and she pointed at the downed boys with a slight smug look of victory.

"Gigigi!" Gajeel sniggered, "How does it feel Natsu, Gray? Two versus won and you still lost!"

The pair of them were still smarting from Mira's hits and the most they responded with was a groan. Lisanna almost cringed as Erza's eyes narrowed marginally at Gajeel's statements.

The girl ignored a spike of pain that ripped through her shoulder, "Pinky and Stripper stink at fighting." Akira declared, frowning as she turned slightly back to Erza. "Is that what the mages here do? Attack from behind and strip in the middle of a fight? Where I come from, that's called cheating."

"They did _what."_ Erza's voice was rationally calm but anyone who knew her could feel the drop in temperature in the room.

Lisanna gasped slightly as more blood gushed from Akira's nose. The girl automatically tipped her head back and both Lisanna and Mira grabbed napkins from the few tables that were still standing.

"How about we go into the kitchen?" Mira suggested. Her voice was light and kind, her hands delicately reaches across Akira's back and gently led her forward. Lisanna immediately mirrored her older sister's actions and guided her on the left, "We have a first aid kit and how does another cup of hot cocoa sound?"

If Akira has any protests, she didn't get much a say in the manner. Both the Stratuss sisters whisked the girl away and the three of them disappeared around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight any and all warmth on Erza's face was gone.

"What in Earthland did you two do?" Erza's eyes lifted and everyone in the guild screeched to a halt. There was no give to her tone and her shadow fell ominously over the pair.

 **Author's Note:** Yeah, bad impression for the Akira. Natsu and Gray didn't exactly endear the guild to her. I really like Lisanna and Mira's sister dynamic, I find their relationship really wonderful and not exploited enough. If there is anything you liked or want to see improved, please leave a comment!


	11. Chapter 11

Chasing Dreams

Chapter Eleven

Water flushed down the drain and the faucet squeaked as Lisanna turned it off. She'd shut the door behind her as soon as Mira and Akira had entered the kitchen. She had no doubts that as soon as they had turned the corner, Erza had ripped into the pair.

She was almost glad to be back here and away from the sight. Erza had always been the disciplinarian ever since she had joined the guild. Her taciturn and strong personality hadn't seemed to diminish after all these years. Lisanna smiled a little and thought back to her childhood. Erza was the exact same even after she had returned from Edolas.

Lisanna leaned down under the sink and grabbed a couple of washcloths before walking back over to where her sister and Akira were situated. The girl was seated up on top of the counter and her legs dangled over the edge. She seemed surprisingly undisturbed by the amount of blood that was pouring from her nose.

"I got it Mira-nee." Lisanna spoke, setting aside the bowl of warm water and washcloths next to her on the counter. "How's our patient doing?"

"Your patient is fine." Akira flatlined, her voice slightly nasally. She grimaced and she pulled away the soaked tissues and exchanged them for a wash cloth. Holding it up to her nose, she dabbed at the few dribbles of blood. Mira grabbed another washcloth a dropped it in the dish. The hue of the water had already turned a soft pink and Akira's hands were stained with the copper colored residue.

"Tip your head forward and keep pressure on it." The eldest of the sisters spoke. Lisanna giggled slightly at the girl's exasperated sigh.

"This isn't my first bloody nose, you know." Nevertheless, she did as Mira suggested and leaned forward. Akira grasped at the fresh set of washcloths and quickly replaced the soiled one at her nose with another. She rubbed slightly at her nose and pulled away for a moment, only to have to quickly put the pressure back on as blood dribbled down over her lips.

Swinging her legs over the counter, Akira curiously looked around. The kitchen was surprisingly big for a room that was tucked away from sight. She couldn't help but wonder how big the guild was. Clearly, it was much bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside.

Akira frowned in thought and her nose scrunched as a fresh wave of blood was crusted around the edges of her nostrils. Her face soured slightly and she crossed her free hand over the top of her knee. Slowly but surely she could feel the give in her arms as she allowed herself to relax just a little bit.

It wasn't bad, sitting back away from everyone else. The room was much quieter even with the muffled conversation that was coming through the cracks in the door, it was much less chaotic. Akira liked the sounds of the gas stove clicking and the soft dripping of the faucet against the bottom of the sink. The sounds were familiar to her ear. She watched the ticking of the clock and it wasn't until Lisanna came into her line of sight that she really began to pay attention to what the two mages were doing

The set of soiled wash clothes were being transferred over from Mira to her younger sister. Mira had moved from the island in the center to the stoves that were situated against the back wall. Akira could see something being stirred but with her nose out of commission, she had no idea what it was. But that wasn't what had Akira's attention.

Sitting on the last burner next to the large pot of whatever Mira was stirring was a small bubbling concoction. Lisanna moved quickly between the island, grabbing individual washcloths before setting them into the second pot. It was intriguing as Akira had never seen someone stewing washcloths on a stove before. It was a strange way to sterilize something. She almost wanted to ask but she just couldn't muster the gumption. Akira bit her lip in consideration but refrained. It wasn't like she really wanted to know and she didn't really see a point in asking frivolous questions.

Mentally sighing, Akira almost shrugged her shoulders until a very distinct pain surfaced from the attempt. Hissing quietly to herself, she instantly curled her arm closer and bite back against the throb. Now that she had been sitting there for a while, Akira hadn't even noticed the rapid decline in adrenaline. All the aches and bruises she had acquired from the last few days along with the new ones she had gotten today weighed heavily and it was really starting to take a toll on her sleep deprived mind.

 _'I don't even want to know what I look like right there now.'_ Akira thought, staring down at her mud stained sandals. From the rain, the cold and the general lack of sleep, she knew that the bags under her eyes were puffy and her hair was dull and layered with grime. What had been a comforting silence was now slowly shifting to stifling. She was just waiting at this point, waiting for them to get tired of the dirt she was getting on their floor or tired of the smell she was reeking of. Everyone got tired of her at some point and Akira didn't want to wait around until then.

Pulling the soiled washcloth away from her face. Akira tentatively brought her hand up against her nose and felt along the ridges. Dried blood flaked along the top of her fingernails but no fresh blood came with it. The bridge of her nose was tender and would probably bruise but it definitely wasn't broken which was a small blessing. Setting the blood stained cloth down next to her, Akira moved to slide off the counter but a light voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You're not leaving are you?"

Akira turned towards Mira and her head tilted slightly to the side, "Uhh..." Her voice trailed off slightly as if Akira herself wasn't too sure about the answer. "My nose stopped bleeding so I think I'm fine…" The girl paused for a moment and her eyes flashed with something unreadable before her gaze met back up at Mira's, "Am I supposed to stay?"

The last question wasn't really for Mira's benefit but for Akira herself. She still didn't have a clue what their intentions were with her. They were Erza's friends so Akira supposed that they weren't going to do anything to hurt her… probably. But that didn't mean she wasn't suspicious.

The bartender's skirt swayed with her hips and her heels clicked against the wooden floorboards. Mira bent down towards her and Akira was startled at how easily the woman had slipped right into her personal space. It was uncomfortable to have Mira's clean, manicured hands near her own dirty hair and skin.

"Do you want to stay?" The woman asked, inspecting the bridge of Akira's nose with a critical eye. There was no bias is her tone and Akira's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.

"No." Akira voiced out her immediate split second reaction but the more she thought about it, the more she found that she wasn't exactly sure if it was entirely true. At this point, she really didn't have any idea what she planned on doing. Did she want to stay? Obviously not for any long period of time- Akira wouldn't go far enough to even begin to entertain that idea but... It wasn't like she had any set plans to go anywhere else. Even with a bloody nose, the guildhall was much warmer than the cold, empty streets.

The room lapped into a bout of silence. Something on the stove whistled and and there was a quick click of the gas stove before Lisanna came into her line of sight. "Here you go Mira-nee."

Hot water steamed from the sink and Akira's nose scrunched and she craned her neck past Mira to try and get a look at what the other girl was holding. Akira's forehead wrinkled and her frown deepened as Lisanna handed Mira a set of fresh, steaming washcloths.

 _'What is she planning on doing with those?'_ Akira craned her head to get a better look, "I don't need anymore." Akira's head bobbed a little and she sniffed a little in an attempt to clear out some of the dried blood. "My nose is fine now."

"Hmm…"

There was something about the intense blue in woman's eyes that made Akira pause in her own assurances. Mira's gaze was laser focus on her face and Akira couldn't help but feel uncomfortable underneath the look.

"What?" Akira blurted, squirming slightly on the table. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think you missed a spot."

Akira's eyes went cross eyed and she held her breath in bewilderment as Mira brought a fresh washcloth up to clean her bloodied face. It was warm, soft and the practiced motion was so quick that Akira didn't get a chance to protest or even move before it was done.

"There you go, good as new." Mira hummed, stepping away to admire her handiwork, "Your nose doesn't hurt does it? I can get an ice pack or a bandaid for you if you'd like."

Akira's nostrils flared and the skin on her upper lip and on the bridge of her nose tingled where the woman had scrubbed. Akira blinked and she could feel her cheeks burning a bright red.

"N-No, it doesn't hurt." Akira mumbled, shaking her head as she struggled to find her voice. She wasn't sure if she should feel indignant or embarrassed by the fact that she had her face cleaned like some snot-nosed brat.

Her face only burned deeper as both Lisanna and Mira gave her a beaming smile. "You're not shy are you?" Lisanna asked, tilting her head slightly as Akira shied away.

"Of course not!" Akira hotly denied, scowling at the pair. A dark expression brooded and her arms crossed defiantly against her chest.

"Your cheeks are pretty red if you ask me." Lisanna spoke, smiling at the before turning to open the cupboard above the stove.

"They are _not!"_

Mira privately laughed to herself and her lips twitched as if she was working to keep a smile off her face. She really didn't want to upset the girl but it was almost funny if not a bit nostalgic to see the same angry pout on that had been mirrored many many times on Erza's face in years gone by.

Akira opened her mouth to once again refute Lisanna's words but she was cut off as a loud bang vibrated through the walls. All three girls turned towards the sound.

"What was that?" Akira asked, looking at the door, "Who's yelling?"

There was a long stretch of silence and then both Lisanna and Mira heard it, the booming shouts and muffled words that could only come from one person. Akira hummed and she scratched the back of her head as she listened to the sounds accompanied by another dull thud of something (or in Mira's case, suspected two someones) hitting the wall.

"Lisanna," Mira spoke, turning her head towards her sister, "I'm going to go make sure that the… party isn't getting to wild. You know how our guild gets."

Lisanna blinked in confusion for a moment before her eyes lit up in realization, "Of course, Mira-nee!" Lisanna plastered on a smile and barely held back a wince as another one of Erza's angry shouts vibrated the walls. "I'll finish up here." Mira nodded in thanks and wait another moment before slipping through the door and shutting it with a sharp click.

"Are all your parties filled with so much yelling?" Akira's nose wrinkled and she glanced up at the ceiling. "It doesn't sound like a party to me."

Lisanna quirked her lips at the question, "They're just having a good time." There was another set of thumps against the floor and this time the dust from the ceiling began to shake down over them. "Maybe _too_ good of a time." Lisanna muttered under her breath. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly Erza was doing up there.

Akira held out her hand a few dust particles settled on her palm. "Is pro wrestling a party game around here too?" She retorted, disbelief coloring her words.

Lisanna ignored the other's suspicionsand instead dropped the towel she'd been holding into the girl's arms. She gave a quick smile at Akira's confused look, "How does a hot bath sound?"

* * *

Upstairs, the guild hall wasn't as bad as Mira expected to find it. It was a bit of a relief to know that there wouldn't be anyone staying late to clean again. Stepping up off the top of the stairs, Mira carefully stepped around Gray's body and settled her hands on her hips, "Erza, isn't that enough already? I'm not sure Natsu is conscious anymore."

The pink haired mage groaned in response and Erza huffed before dropping his body next to the similarly pummeled ice mage. "I was just finishing up." She glared once again at the two, "You will be apologizing, that's not how we treat guests."

"Yes ma'am…"

"Yes ma'am…"

The two mages spoke in unison, barely getting the words past their bloodied lips before slumping down against the floor as they succumbed to their injuries. Mira couldn't help but notice in amusement that Cana and Gajeel both were spouting a few bottle shaped lumps that Erza had most likely given in retribution for the bottle that had been thrown. When Erza got riled up, it was pretty difficult for anyone and everyone in the general vicinity to escape her retribution, even if they didn't have anything in to do with it.

However, there was a delightful smugness that Mira felt at watching Cana nurse her bruises with another bottle of ale. She was sneaky and well versed in getting others to take the blame for her crafty meddling. It was a rare moment when she ever managed to get the least bit of blame in the havoc created. The eldest of the Strauss' was pretty sure that Erza had just thumped Cana for good measure, considering what had happened last week but whether the knight knew it or not, it was well deserved.

Cana caught her eye and scowled, clearly interpreting Mira's look for what it was, "Don't give me that look you white haired witch. You're just as bad as I am." With a huff, Cana threw her head back and emptied the rest of her beer. She held up the empty bottle and made a move throw it until a single glance from Erza stopped her in her tracks. Cana half heartedly lowered her arm and instead settled with childishly sticking her tongue out at the pair. "You're both a bunch of party poopers."

Stepping over the bodies, Erza seated herself at the bar. Looking up at Mira, she gave a smile in thanks as the bartender set a drink in front of her. "How's Akira? Her nose isn't broken is it?"

"No, it's just a bit bruised but she should be all right." Mira reassured, "I would worry about it, Erza. In some ways I think it was probably good." Mira swept the broken glass on the counter off into her apron before dumping the pile into the garbage.

Erza hummed a little and she swirled the content of her glass before taking a sip, "And how do you suppose that?"

"Well," Mira set her hands on the counter, "The guild may not exactly be calm but it's certainly busy. Natsu and Gray and the rest of our guild mates are going to be who they're going to be." The bartender leaned up and rested her chin in her hands, "And besides, if you were really that worried, you would've never brought her in the first place. Trust your family Erza." Mira waved to the rest of the bustling guild and her eyes shimmered with warmth. "A bruised or even a broken nose isn't exactly uncommon around here." She tittered slightly and her head nodded back to Natsu and Gray who were still down for a count, "It's better to have her eyes open from the beginning than closed with unrealistic expectations."

Erza paused in thought and for a long moment didn't say anything. Then, with a smile cracking her stoic facade, she brought the glass up to her lips and took another deep drink. There was a loud creak and both Mira and Erza turned as the heavy doors of the guild were opened. Thunder rumbled from the heavy storm outside and a small figure darted in before the decorated doors were banged shut.

"I _told_ you that we should've gotten the later ticket! Then we wouldn't be so soaking wet!" A feminine voice shrilled. The conversing pair passed the threshold and the warm light of the guildhall illuminated them.

"I'm sorry Carla…" Wendy murmured, looking over at the exceed with apologetic eyes. "I didn't think it was going to rain and Erza-san asked if I could come."

"What's done is done I suppose." The exceed sniffed, looking down at Wendy with a critical eye, "You should get changed out of those clothes, you're going to catch a cold if you stay-"

"Carla~!" A blue exceed dropped down from the ceiling and it was all Carla could do from rolling her eyes. "I brought you a fish! It's one of my favorites! Tuna!" Ignoring Happy, the white exceed followed after her dragon slayer to the front of the bar.

 _"Wendy…"_ A strangled voice called out, "Wendy… _Help me.."_

The blue haired mage looked around for the voice and her expression dropped in horror as the nondescript pile on the floor began to crawl towards her. With a shriek, Wendy jumped up onto the closest chair and stared at the pile of tangled limbs in horror. It wasn't until the pile moved closer that she realized that it was actually two of her guild mates.

"Natsu?! Gray?!" Wendy gasped and she jumped down off the chair immediately crossed the distance to meet them halfway. "What happened to you?!" Already her hand was stretched out and alight with a familiar glow. Carefully, Wendy did a check over and attended to the mages' lumps and bruises. Carla rolled her eyes at the proceedings and instead did her best to keep as much distance between her and the male cat as she could.

"Ah ha!" Natsu sprang to his feet and his cheesing grin was back on his face. "Thanks Wendy! You're the best!" His eyes glowed in victory and he sneered down at Gray who just about done being healed by Wendy. But before he could even get a word out against his fellow mage, a single spike of killing intent from Erza shut Natsu right up. Sweating bullets, the fire mage was gone from sight in an instant.

Sitting up, Gray flexed his arms and legs before giving a grin of his own, "Thank you, Wendy." He stood up and frowned as he realized there was something missing, "...Where's my shirt?" It wasn't another moment before the ice mage was gone too, off to look for his missing articles of clothing.

Wendy stood up onto her feet and wiped her brow which was still dripping from the rain. "I'm here to check in, Mira-san." She spoke, moving up to sit up in the chair next to Erza at the bar.

"Back already? How did your mission go?" Mira asked, turning to look between Wendy and Carla. The latter of the two was stubbornly ignoring the blue exceed who was trying (and failing) to give her a fish.

"It went fine. The elderly couple who put out the request didn't need as much done as we thought so there wasn't a need to stay the night and besides..." Wendy trailed off and carefully swept her wet bangs away from her eyes. She pulled lightly at the hem in her dress to smooth the wrinkles before looking over to the mage next to her, "You needed me for something, Erza-san?" Wendy shyly asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It was a bit hard to look at the scarlet knight directly. Erza was so strong and brave and Wendy couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated in her presence. She had been a bit surprised and excited when Erza had called her up with a communication lacrima asking if she could finish up her mission as soon as possible and come back to the guild.

Wendy had worked pretty hard and had made sure to rush back to the guild on the first train that she could. It wasn't everyday that Erza specifically asked for her help. Now that Wendy was back at the guild, she was a bit more nervous than she had initially been. She really wasn't sure what Erza's request could possibly be. She really really hoped it wasn't another photo shoot. The thought in itself almost made her shudder. Wendy almost died of embarrassment the last time her face had ended up in the Wizard's Weekly magazine.

Erza turned to the blue haired girl and Wendy couldn't help but feel a little antsy under her gaze. "Yes, there is someone I was hoping you could help."

 _'Someone?'_ Wendy frowned a bit at the wording and her nervousness was replaced by intrigue. Carla's tail swished in annoyance and she all but stomped her way in front of Erza.

"The least you can do is allow Wendy dry off before starting her on whatever ridiculous task you've roped her into!" Carla chided, giving Erza a once over before dismissing her with a wave of her paw, "Honestly! She just barely walked in and for the record- it's _your_ fault she's soaked to the bone." Wordlessly, the exceed snatched the towel Mira held out to her and she gratefully hung it around her shoulders. "Also, who interrupts somebody while they're working and for a personal matter at that? It's rude and a terribly bad habit to display."

Wendy sweatdropped and held her hands out in a placating manner, "Please don't get angry, Carla. If it wasn't important, I'm sure Erza-san wouldn't have called-"

"Doubtful." The exceed interrupted, breezing by Wendy to get up and personal with the red haired mage, "Now you listen here, Scarlet!" Carla demanded, catching Erza's gaze, "Just because Wendy doesn't think she's as good of a mage as the rest of you doesn't mean she isn't!"

"Carla!" Wendy's cheek blushed pink and she was furiously shaking her head, "Don't say that! That's not-"

The exceed cut Wendy off with a quick swish of her tail, "Why, she is one of the best things that has ever happened to this guild and I won't have anyone taking advantage of her or her feelings! Got it?!" Each proclamation was furthered with a hard clang of a paw into Erza's armored chest. The exceed's gaze scrutinized the mage once before before she pulled back and cleared her throat, "Wendy worked really hard on the last mission and had an especially tiring day today. She was already spent and healing those two clowns," Carla nodded in the direction behind her, "-on top of everything else was really pushing it. So please, make she can get to bed at a reasonable time."

There was a sputter and Wendy all but leapt towards the exceed, "C-Carla!" Anything more the blue haired mage liked to say was stifled and lost under her own horror at the fact that her bedtime of all things was the current subject of conversation at hand.

Erza blinked slightly and she mirrored Carla's serious gaze with confident one of her own, "Of course. I won't keep her any longer than needed, you have my word."

"Hmph, I suppose your word is the best thing I'm going to get." Carla's tail swished and she nodded after a moment of thought,"Wendy," The exceed addressed, turning back to face the younger mage. By now, Wendy's face has morphed to a startling hue of deep magenta. Her face seemed to be steaming as she hid her mortified expression in the palms of her hand. "I'm going back up to our dorm to get a shower, I expect to see you there before midnight." Carla's eyes softened and she took a small breath, "And please, darling… Make sure to change out of those clothes, you'll catch a cold." With another glance in Erza's direction and a few quiet muttered phrases, a pair of wings appeared in a dull flash of light and the exceed was gone.

"She always does this, why does she do this." Wendy muttered, her voice squeaking with embarrassment and disbelief. Both Erza and Mira shared a look of mirth. It really was a sweet gesture. There were no doubts that there was no one more protective over Wendy than Carla. Wendy had been in the guild for a good while now and yet Carla was still as fierce and aggressive when it came to the girl as she had been the first day Wendy had become a part of Fairy Tail. Erza politely waited for a few moments to allow Wendy to compose herself before she delicately cleared her throat. Her guildmate almost jumped at the sound and she sheepishly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before putting her gaze back on Erza. "Umm… You were telling me about someone you wanted me to help?" Wendy stammered, patting her flushed cheeks in some attempt to get the color back to normal.

"Yes, but it's a little different from what you'd expect." Erza sighed and she paused as if she was trying to pick the right word, "The problem is… She won't want your help."

"...Erza-san, I'm not following…" Wendy frowned and her head tilted slightly in confusion, "Who am I supposed to be helping?"

 **Author's Note:**

Wendy's in the building! Just for reference the age difference between the two girls is a little under two years. So Akira is 12 and Wendy is 14 but depending on the time of year, there is a point where there is only a one year difference in age between them.


End file.
